Jinchuuriki Nine
by animemaniac27894567
Summary: Sequel to Kakashi's Seven. All Nine Jinchuuriki have been found and labelled a potential danger to the world. Countries want their powers, Villages need them as weapons, Akatsuki want to kill them, but Konoha just wants to get rid of them...
1. Gobi no Okami

_Disclaimer_

**K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the charecters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except **_**my**_** story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it **_**in**_** Naruto, but I want credit if they do. lmao.**

* * *

_**'A word is a word, until you mean what you say. And love isn't love, until you give it away.'**_

_**-Unknown.**_

* * *

**Sasuke watched his teammate calmly, a slightly bored expression on his face. If one watched him long enough, they could see a protective way about how he watched her. He watched her back and forth motion with a passive expression, but his stance told people to back off. He jumped slightly when she broke through his trance and stopped her pacing. Sakura let out a groan of frustration and threw her arms up.**

**"I can't believe it!" She cried. "The first training **_**real**_** mission since we vanished, and their both still late!"**

**Vanished? Sasuke asked himself silently. He knew how sensitive she was about her.... 'membership' with the Akatsuki, and she knew how much he hated the fact that he left when they needed him most. He shook his head, ridding all thoughts of the past from his mind.**

**"No matter how many of his students go missing, Kakashi will still be Kakashi." Sasuke stated, watching as she resumed her pacing. He let his guard drop temporairily, to sigh. "And you, of all people, know how knuckle-headed Naruto can be..."**

**Sakura turned to him, bewilderment written across her face. She wanted to vent, and Sasuke shot down her main source. She groaned again and leaned against the other railing of the bridge, watching the water run underneath them. **

**After minutes of watching her back, she spun around to face him. "Yeah? Well, you know what? I-"**

**"**_**Oi**_**!" Naruto's cheerfull yell caught their attention. Both froze.**

**Sakura spun towards him, changing targets. "**_**Naruto**_**!" She screamed, a few passerby's paused at the **_**'Kyuubi child's'**_** name. When they saw Sasuke and Sakura with him, they continued on nervously. "Hurry up!"**

**"Calm down." Sasuke murmured, watching her expression.**

**She responded with an "**_**ugh**_**" and slide down the railing, so she was sitting on the bridge.**

**Naruto jogged up to them, panting. "I'm here!" He declared, patting his backpack emphathetically. "I had to make sure I had enough Ramen Noodles."**

**Sakura blinked. "Weren't you **_**just**_** bragging that Iruka's taking you out for noodle after the mission?" She asked, bewildered. "Why could you possibly need noodles **_**during**_** the mission?"**

**Naruto stared at her in disbelief. "I like to keep things interesting." He stated, grinning at them.**

**Sakura glanced between her two teammates in bewilderment.**

**"Yo!" A large puff of smoke appeard on the over-head bar. Kakashi was hunched over, holding his right hand forewards with his index and middle fingers up.**

**Naruto opened his mouth to accuse Kakashi of being late, before Sakura intterupted him. **

**"So are you, Naruto, so are you." She muttered. Naruto froze, smiling sheepishly. **

**"But he doesn't know that." Naruto stated, adding a light chuckle.**

**"We have an...," Kakashi jumped down to their level and pulled out his book. He kept his eyes on the book, but continued talking, " interesting mission today."**

**"Really?!" Naruto yelled, pumping his fists. "What rank? S-ranked? Please say it's S-ranked!"**

**"Nope." Kakashi said simply, flipping the page.**

**Sasuke and Sakura sighed. A game of 'guess-the-mission-rank' was about to ensue. Sasuke slid down, so he was at Sakura's level. She smiled over at him, he smirked back. They sighed again.**

**"A!" Naruto yelled.**

**"Nope." Kakashi repeated.**

**"B?"**

**"Nope."**

**"Good thing for us there are only five ranks." Sasuke muttered. Sakura nodded in agreement.**

**"Don't tell me it's D..."**

**"I would kill myself if there were any more..." Sakura stated, shaking her head to get the picture out of her mind. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.**

**"Nope."**

**"Okay, maybe not me. But I'd kill Naruto and Kakashi, for sure." She said, blocking Naruto's whining out of her mind.**

**"C?"**

**Kakashi nodded, closing his book. "Scouting mission. There has been mysterious activity on the border of earth and fire."**

**Sakura glanced up. "Sensai?" She waited until he glanced down. "Aren't scouting mission usually done by ANBU Black Ops?"**

**"Well...yes, but- Naruto, Shut up!" Kakashi snapped. An incessant scream of **_**'Anbu ranked mission, woo-hoo!' **_**coming from the hyperactive blond. He turned back to Sakura. "Yes, but the Hokage isn't to worried about it. We've had a fairly good relationship with Earth since the war, and she figures there shouldn't be anything dangerous."**

**"What?" Naruto asked, his sapphire orbs resembling a puppy who had been kicked too many times.**

**"uh..." Kakashi trailed off, nervously watching Naruto's pout.**

**"Yeah." Sasuke said quickly, sending a pointed look at Sakura. "Kakashi was just kidding, right, sensai?"**

**"Yeah, Naruto." Sakura said, joining in. "The **_**entire**_** mission is dangerous. Horribly dangerous. We might not make it back alive."**

**They turned to Kakashi. He glanced between the two before realization dawned on his face. "Oh!" He said. "Yes, the mission is too risky for ANBU. So we have...uh..."**

**"Given ourselves to...." Sakura trailed off as well.**

**"Protect the leaf!" Sasuke concluded.**

**Naruto stared, glanceing between them. "Really?" He asked.**

**"Geez." Sasuke muttered. "You make dumb blonds look smart..."**

**Naruto turned to him, confusion evident on his face. "What?"**

**"Come on, children." Kakashi said quickly, pushing them towards the gate. **_**'This is going to be a long day.'**_

* * *

**The group of four rushed through the forest. C-ranked or not, a mission was a mission, and ninja's gave their all. Soft thuds echoed around the trees from their foot falls, and the ocassional creaking wood accompanied it. All four were tense. The forest held a tense of dread, almost like a premonition. Kakashi sighed and put his book into his pocket, replacing it with a kunai. His team copied him.**

**"Hey!" Naruto screamed.**

**His three teammates fell into defensive stances, waiting for an inevidable attack. None came. Sakura was the first to turn back to Naruto. He stood with his hands on his hips, glaring at Sasuke.**

**"What?" She snapped, glaring daggers at her half-brother. "Why did you stop us?"**

**"You!" Naruto yelled, pointing a finger at Sasuke. "Said I was dumber than a dumb blond!"**

**"Oh, yeah...." Sasuke muttered. "Sorry."**

**Sasuke's teammate froze, including Kakashi. **

**"I meant dumber than Deidara." He ammended. **

**Sakura stifed a giggle behind her hand, Kakashi sighed. Sasuke smirked at the confused blond, and continued their journey. Naruto grumbled something inaudiable and followed his teammate. Sakura jumped after them when her laughter was under control. Kakashi sighed, re-adjusting the kunai in his hand. **_**'Three years, and already their back to the way they were. I guess they haven't changed much...'**_** The silver-haired jounin thought to himself. He followed the three teenagers in front of him, subconsiously searching the trees around them for signs of attack.**

**Sasuke grabbed a branch and used it to swing himself higher. He jumped from that branch to another, and yet another, following his teams path at a higher level. If an attack was coming they would need as much advantage as possible. **_**Naruto still seems clueless, as usual, and Sakura's falling back slightly. **_**Sasuke thought mindlessly. **_**Good. She knows a battles coming and is making changes to our formation to compensate. Kakashi's ready as well. Dammit, Naruto, get into position...**_

**Naruto jumped back slightly, an uneasy feeling falling over him. He tightened his grip on the kunai, and got ready to whip out a handfull of shuriken if nessecary. He carefully took in the positions of his teammates, and nodded to himself. Sasuke's position wasn't too obvious, and Sakura was hanging back. Kakashi's hand was twitching, ready to un-veil his Sharigan. All four of their senses were on high-alert, waiting for any signal an attack was coming. He was the first to notice.**

**Naruto froze mid-jump, and grabbed a vine to pull himself behind a large tree. He signalled for his team to do the same. Kakashi tossed the communicators at the three of them, attaching one to his neck. He waited until they gave the 'okay' sign - the index and thumb making a **_**'O' **_**shape - before pulling the corner of his mask down, revealing his Sharigan. When the team was fully hidden, two ninja darted where they had been moments before.**

**"Sakura, stay behind and only come out if there's danger or one of us is hurt." He said quietly into the receiver.**

_**"Hai**_**." Her reply sounded, almost a whisper.**

**"Naruto, Sasuke. Follow my lead. Watch each others backs, if it becomes too dangerous, I want you three to leave." Kakashi asked, lowering his voice even more.**

_**"What?!"**_** Naruto hissed, annoyance flickering in his voice. **_**"Kakashi-sensai!"**_

_**"Why?"**_** Sasuke's voice came, a slight amount of tension in his voice. **_**"This ninja doesn't seem to be so powerfull."**_

**"He's advanced in genjutsu, almost at the Mangekyou level. It's next to impossible to break through. He's cold-blooded and won't hesitate to kill you." Kakashi paused. "He's been on the S-ranked criminal list for years."**

**They paused, but finally responded. **_**"Hai."**_

**"I'll take out the big one, watch each other and be carefull." Kakashi ordered, all business.**

_**"Hai."**_** They repeated. **

**"Go!" He yelled, jumping out from behind the tree, and dove towards the larger ninja.**

**Sasuke jumped from the higher branches, as Naruto leapt from his hiding place, both aiming at the scrawnier of the two ninjas. Both collided with him at the same moment, driving their kunai into his skin. A puff of smoke surrounded them.**

**"A replacement?" Naruto growled in frustration, swinging his arms to get rid of the smoke.**

**"Where is he?!" Sasuke yelled. A sense of dread, that had nothing to do with the earth ninjas, washed over him. A feeling he had only felt once before.**

**Sasuke leapt out a the smoke, a low growl rising in his throat. "Itachi!" He bellowed, pulling a Demon-Wind Shuriken from his backpack. The Akatsuki was standing near a tree, with his hand outstretched and wrapped around...**

**"Sakura!" Naruto screamed when he took in the scene. "No! Let my Imouto go, you jerk!" **

**Itachi glanced over at them, he leaned forward and whispered something next to Sakura's ear. Sasuke pulled his arm back, and threw the large shuriken at his brother. It went straight through him. **_**'Clone...'**_** Sasuke thought angrily. He landed a few feet from where Itachi had been moments before, and rushed towards Sakura. She had her back pressed against the tree, and a distant, almost dreamy, expression on her face. Sasuke made the seal for Tiger.**

**"Ka! Release!" He ordered.**

**Sakura's eyes became more alert in seconds, but she still seemed woozy. Sasuke turned when Kakashi and Naruto arrived. Naruto was immediately at their side, and asking Sakura a thousand questions a minute. Kakashi slowly crouched next to his students. **

**"What did he say to you?" He asked softly.**

**Sakura focused on him before answering. "He...wanted me to go back to the Akatsuki...and he....said a bunch of stuff, I don't really remember, it's kinda blurry..." She paused, thinking. "...then he said to think about his offer and left." She shrugged weakly.**

**Kakashi sighed. "I took care of the big guy, but the other one got away." He sent a pointed look at Naruto and Sasuke.**

**"I'm sorry." Sakura murmured. **

**Kakashi sighed again, watching as Sasuke wrapped his arm around Sakura's waist and lifted her up. Naruto grabbed their backpacks and held them carefully. **_**'I was wrong...they have changed....so much.'**_** He thought sadly.**

* * *

**"Geez, Itachi. Can you **_**be**_** more forward?" Kisame asked, watching the old Uchiha's expression. "We erased her memory and almost killed her, do you really think she'll want to come back?"**

**"You're right, Kisame-sempai!" Tobi cheered happily from the bench.**

**"No member has quit without death involved." Itachi said simply, walking towards the large manor.**

**"And to top it off, she's one of our targets!" Kisame exclaimed, throwing his arms up. "She's a jinchuuriki, if she comes back, we'll just have to kill her!"**

**"We have to eventually, whether she comes or not." Tobi stated, all traces of happiness vanished. "We'll have to get all of them eventually."**

**Itachi ignored them and kept moving, straight into the large building.**

**"Konoha it is then." Zetsu said quietly.**

* * *

_**Authoresse Note**_

K, so, I had posted the old version (I think), but I re-read it and decided it sucks. So, I'm re-writing it. (Great, ne?) Yeah. I left the first two chapters the same, cause I didn't feel like changing them, but after this I'll be changing everything. Dun Dun Duhhhhhh! R&R!


	2. Life Crisis

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the charecters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. lmao.

* * *

_'Where we love is home, home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.'_

_-__Oliver Wendell Holmes_

* * *

The three genin watched Tsunade with nervous expressions, as the Godaime flipped the page casually. She took a careful sip of sake, her eyes scanning the paper slowly. After her third sip she set the papers down and fixed them with a serious stare. They froze.

"Everything seems to be in order, but I want to hear it from the horse's mouth." She stated, watching their reactions.

"I don't think any of us said there was a horse involved." Naruto stated calmly, completely oblivious.

The Hokage groaned and leaned back in her seat. A tower of papers in the corner of her office mocking her silently. _'This job doesn't pay enough.'_ She thought angrily.

"Who first initiated contact?" Tsunade asked, directing the question at Sasuke.

Team 7 sighed and re-told their story for the fifth time. The first two times to each of the elders separeately, the third to both of them together, then to Tsunade, then Jiraiya, and now Tsunade again. They explained how the muscular man, Tsukune, was now if Konoha's custody, and his rat-like accomplice was at large. Sakura explained what Itachi said, and how he used Mangekyo Sharingan to try and convince her. After a good three hours, the team was released from the Hokage office. Naruto immediately dragged them to Ichiraku's for a quick dinner.

Sasuke put in his order and Sakura's, leaving Naruto to decide _'Beef-or-not-to-Beef,'_ in his own words. The three-man team sat in relative silence when their ramen arrived and just let their minds think through the day.

They finished their ramen - Naruto having four times as much as his two companions - and they parted ways. Sasuke led Sakura back to the Uchiha's District in fairly relaxed silence. Sasuke cleared his throat when they passed under the Uchiha's sign.

He moved behind her and wrapping his arms around her shoulders, hooking them in front of her neck. He took a deep breath through his nose and rested his chin on top of her head as they made their way back to the house.

"Sasuke..." Sakura said in a hushed voice, leaning her head back against his chest. "I have a question."

"Only one?" He countered, a smirk crossing his face.

She giggled lightly. "W...Do you think the Akatsuki will come to get us again?" She asked, her voice lowering even more. "I mean, they never seemed like the people to give up on something, right? And what about the other Jinchuuriki? We can't just leave them out there, alone and they probably don't even know what they have inside them all alone....can we?"

Sasuke chuckled against her hair and sighed. "I can't speak for Naruto, but I'm pretty sure that he and I are in the same boat. We'd have no problem leaving the other Jinchuuriki alone, and we'd probably wouldn't even think about it. But, you won't be able to. You're just that kind of person, Sakura."

She pulled away from him so she could look him in the eye. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I didn't mean to insult you, calm down." He said softly, stepping forward to wrap his arms around her waist again. "Listen, Sakura. You're just a kind person. If you're this worried about this, then we'll track down the other Jinchuuriki."

Sakura nodded against his chest and closing her eyes, wrapping her arms around his waist. They stood that way for a few minutes, just standing together on the main buildings porch. They probably would have stayed their longer if the front door hadn't burst open.

"I don't care how many gallons of water you think you can drink, Suigetsu! The body can't hold that much without major consequences!" Karin cried, storming out of the house as Sasuke and Sakura pulled away from each other immediately.

"And _I_ don't care how many gallons your _facts_ say the body can or cannot hold! _I_ can drink that much without anything happening to me, Karin!" Suigetsu snapped back, following her out of the building and glaring daggers at her back. "What do you two th.... What were you doing?"

"Nothing, Suigetsu." Sakura answered immediately, frowning as she changed the subject flawlessly. "What are you argueing about?"

"Karin doesn't think that I can drink my body weight in water. I disagree." Suigetsu responded, looking Sakura straight in the eye - as if challanging her to argue with him.

"Sorry, Karin. Suigetsu's body is made of water, he can drink as much as he wants." Sakura said, intertwining her fingers with Sasuke's.

Sasuke nodded his head in agreement.

"Well, that's not fair!" Karin cried, glaring at the three people in front of her. "You have Sakura on your side! I want Sasuke. Or at least Jugo. You can't have both of them!"

"Well, if have Sakura, I have Sasuke!" Suigetsu countered, gesturing at their clasped hands. "Jugo doesn't like argueing. We'll make a deal though, you can have... uh... that rock over there. Just beside that other house, right over there."

Karin glowered at him, launching herself at him and pulling her fist back. A loud roar echoed from inside the house and they all froze.

"Ah, damnit." Suigetsu hissed under his breath, grabbing Karin and Sakura's arms to pull them safely out of harm's way.

Jugo - in his Second Seal state - burst through the front doors, his eyes flashing dangerously. Sasuke activated his Sharingan immediately and looked Jugo straight in the eye, the pinwheels spinning dangerously in his eyes. He stepped in front of the three behind him, his arms spreading slightly to protect them from any attack that might try to harm them. Jugo froze on the porch, his eyes widening slightly - focused completely on Sasuke's swirling Sharingan. The black cursed marks decorating his body slowly molded into glowing red ones and retreating away from his skin, in a matter of seconds.

Sakura let out the breath she had been holding and stepped forward nervously, grabbing Sasuke's arm so she could peer over his shoulder at Jugo.

"You okay now?" She asked quietly, her eyes shimmering slightly.

He nodded and looked away from them, ashamed of what had just happened.

"Why do you keep doing that, Karin?" Suigetsu asked under his breath, his eyes flickering from Sasuke and Sakura to Jugo. "Whenever you pick a fight with me, it'll get Jugo on his killing spree again..."

Sasuke and Sakura glanced at the pair behind them. "Suigetsu..." Sakura said in a soft voice, stepping away from Sasuke so she could calm Suigetsu down - hopefully.

"No, I'm serious! What's up with that, Karin? We're all finally able to live a happy, peaceful life in the Leaf village. Why do you have to keep fighting?" He snapped at her, spinning on his heel to glare at Karin.

"Hey, Jugo, why don't you help me make some tea?" Sakura asked immediately, walking towards the oldest member of their group and pulling him inside the house with her.

Sasuke glared at the two others over his shoulder and following Sakura inside. Suigetsu and Karin glared at each other one last time before going back inside with the others.

Sasuke sat down opposite side of their round table, looking her in the eye intently. The other three had disappeared into different parts of the large house.

"What do you think, Sakura?" He asked in a hushed voice, hoping that the others wouldn't hear him.

"About?" She responded, leaning forward so her chin was pressed against the wood.

"We can't leave these three here, but if you want to start looking for the other Jinchuuriki..." He let the thought hang in the air and glanced down at the small cup of tea next to Sakura.

Sakura sighed. "No, don't worry about it, Sasuke. I'll talk to Tsunade about what I told you, she'd be able to do more about it, anyway. She probably knows where the other Jinchuuriki are, right? So, I'll talk to her. So, relax, okay?" She smiled at him weakly.

Sasuke sighed weakly, crossing his legs. "Alright, I can come with you if you want..." He offered, knowing her answer before she even opened her mouth - before the words had even left his mouth.

"Nah, I can talk to Tsunade by myself, there are probably a few things she'll want to know that I can explain the best, anyway." She said happily, grinning at him across her tea cup.

"What do you think will happen then?" Sasuke asked, his eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"I dunno. She probably won't let us go after them, but who knows what goes through her mind sometimes?" Sakura said, rolling her eyes cheerfully. "Oh, and Tenten said she's gonna take me to the weapons range cause she wants to 'test her skills against an S-class criminal' or something. I just laughed... There's no way I'll be able to have aim as good as Tenten's is there?"

"No." Sasuke said truthfully, smirking across the table at her.

"Great. Well, just a heads up, Lee and Neji might come to tag along. And you know how forward Lee can be." She said in exasperation, standing up and stretching lazily. "And we _all_ know how protective you can be."

"I'll leave him alone." Sasuke swore, acting as if she had offended him by insinuating such a thing. His joking facade fell of a second later as he leaned forward, his expression darkening considerably. "But, if he touches you..."

"You'll be the first to know." Sakura promised, ducking forward and kissing him lightly on the cheek before dancing out of the room.

Sasuke sighed and stood up, glancing into the kitchen warily. Suigetsu and Jugo were having a hushed discussion about something and they both seemed fairly oblivious to his presence so he ignored them and travelled down the hallway. Karin had gone into her room before he and Sakura had even started talking - they had all heard the door slam when she got in - and she had seemed pretty out of it lately, so he continued in the direction of his bedroom. His feet stopped next to Sakura's door, as he peered through the part that had been left open. Sakura was curled on her bed, with her knees pulled to her chest. The window above her was open and the full moon was visible just above the treeline, shining a ray of moonlight directly onto Sakura. It was as if her skin was absorbing the light, because their was a golden - almost angelic - glow around her, from Gobi's pent up chakra.

Sasuke sighed lightly and continued on his way.


	3. Cause and Effect

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the charecters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. lmao.

* * *

_Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have._

_- Unknown_

* * *

Sasuke leaned against a tree lazily, his eyes flickering between the 'purely weapons fight' in front of him. Neji and Lee were sitting on the ground near the training logs, talking about the newest jutsus and about their powers. The Uchiha sighed and slid down the tree so he was sitting on the grass.

"Do they fight often?" He asked conversationally, watching his girlfriend fight their only female teammate.

"Yeah, Tenten says that a Jinchuuriki is the only one who would be able to match her...uh... what did she call it, Neji?" Lee asked, looking up from their coversation, his eyes flickering between Sasuke and the fight.

"Weapon's mastery." The Hyuuga responded airily, more of a second nature thing than anything else.

Sasuke nodded and turned back to the fight.

Sakura backflipped out of the way as Tenten sent a wave of shuriken at her, all of them missed and the pink-haired kunoichi laughed cheerfully. She pulled out a kunai to deflect another wave of shuriken, but she hadn't thrown a single weapon at her opponent yet. Just a quick glance at their fight, and anyone would assume it was a fight to the death - judging from the way they were attacking each other and darting around the clearing. But, a trained eye could see that Sakura was only helping her friend practise her aim.

"I don't see the point to this." Sasuke admitted finally, pulling a blade of grass out and examining it.

"Tenten wants to practise aiming at a target that moves and can think, act, train and... be a person all by itself. Neji and I aren't exactly the best at dodgeing without using chakra." Lee responded, glancing back at the fight calmly. "Sakura has the least tails so there's less chance that she'll loose control... Or, at least that's Tenten's logic..."

Sasuke leaned back against the tree, he hadn't considered the possibility that him, Naruto or Sakura would lose control of their demons that easily. In a simple training mission with a friend? There was no way. But, on a mission outside the village with others attacking them...? Probably. But, definetely not on a simple training session. Not Sakura. And not when she was 'fighting' one of her closest friends.

Sasuke was the first to figure out something was wrong. There was a large amount of murderous intent creepy off of Tenten - when they had just been joking around before - and Sakura was having harder time dodgeing, actually using her chakra to make sure some didn't pierce her skin. He stood up warily, by this point Lee and Neji had sense the sudden change in their friends chakra.

"Neji, Lee, go find Naruto _now_." Sasuke snarled at them, taking a threatening step towards the two women. "Sakura, get over here... You know that thing we were talking about earlier?"

"Yeah..." She said in a confused voice, stepping away from the other girl.

"I think we just solved part of it." He responded, gesturing at the strange chakra seeping out of Tenten's body.

"Is that a good thing? Cause, I don't think we really thought this through." She glanced over at Sasuke, watching Lee and Neji run back towards Konoha.

Sasuke smirked at her, waiting until she was standing beside him. "Did the Akatsuki teach you any techniques that could seal chakra?" He asked her in a hushed voice as a feral cry escaped from Tenten's throat.

"Oh, please have a low level of tails. Please, don't be Hachibi... please." Sakura begged silently, turning her head to the sky and closing her eyes weakly.

"Focus, please!"

"Sorry! Uh... I can't remember. Everything I've learned is kind of rushing together.. um..."

"Sakura!"

"I know! uh... yeah, but it could do major damage to Tenten's chakra flow."

"Well, that's the beauty of having a Gentle Fist user around." Sasuke responded, activating his Sharingan and letting out a small amount of his demonic chakra. The Shichibi's chakra slowly coated his body and formed a tail behind him.

"Do... do you have any problems holding her down? Cause I won't be able to hit her if she's moving around and trying to kill me, ne?" Sakura asked, her eyes flickering over to him as her chakra covered her, as well. The golden chakra tail swished nervously behind her.

"Aa."

In a moment, Sasuke had vanished from all sight and the one-tailed Tenten looked around sadistically, like a wolf might look for its next meal.

_'Good news, bad news. Which do ya wanna hear first, Sasuke?_' Sakura asked him suddenly, her eyes flickering around the clearing to look for the target of her thoughts.

He sighed_. 'Good news._'

_'She can't have a very high level of tails, because she wouldn't lose control this fast. She's definetely lower than me.'_ Sakura said cheerfully, as if she had just told Sasuke the location of the Holy Grail.

_'Okay then, Kill Joy, what's the bad news?'_ He countered easily, his form still completely hidden.

_'Kill Joy? Why am I a kill joy?'_ He didn't respond so she sighed and continued. _'You just want to fight a higher level jinchuuriki. Whatever. Well, the bad news is that her demon's in control already so she'll be crazy powerful. Watch out, will you?'_

_'Aa...'_

Tenten turned her attention to the pink-haired kunoichi when it was apparent that Sasuke wouldn't make himself visible. A sadistic smile spread across her face as she fell into a defensive crouch, laughing maniacally. Sakura looked back at the other Jinchuuriki, freezing when the second tail started forming and Tenten's forms became barely distinguishable. Tenten launched herself at Sakura, causing the younger woman to fall back in surprise. Before Tenten could even get half way to Sakura, though, a silver and red form slammed into her and pinned her to the ground. Sasuke wrapped his arms around Tenten's and held her down so that she couldn't hurt either of them.

_'Sakura...'_ He grunted when Tenten elbowed him in the stomach. _'Hurry, her chakra.... burns..._'

_'Hold her still..._' Sakura cautioned, focusing her regular chakra into the tips of her fingers as tiny blue flames appeared there.

She launched herself at the two wrestling Jinchuuriki, her hand held out. Her hand collided with Tenten's stomach - and the location of her demon's seal - as the blue flames melded with the seal, strengthining it.

"Five-Pronged Seal." She cried, only letting her hand fall away when the demonic chakra starting to reside.

Sasuke let Tenten slip from his grip as she fell lightly to the ground, his demonic chakra - and Sakura's - started to mold back into their respective seals, as well. He cleared his throat and observed the unconcious girl between them.

"Wasn't that the jutsu Orochimaru used on Naruto that one time?" He asked her in confusion, his mind going over any possible reason why she would know one of Orochimaru's forbidden jutsus.

"Yeah, but technically it's the Akatsuki's jutsu. He learned it from them." She answered calmly, leaning forward to make sure Tenten didn't have any injuries. "So... Tenten's a Jinchuuriki, too, huh? Didn't see that one coming..."

Sasuke nodded in agreement, using his Sharingan to see where Neji and Lee went. The two were racing back to the clearing with Naruto not far behind them. He sighed and leaned against a tree, knowing that Tenten's teammates would be able to take care of her. He tilted his head to look up at the sky in boredum as the three Shinobi burst into the clearing.

"Tenten!" Neji and Lee cried in unison, rushing to the fallen kunoichi's side and examining her quickly. Neji peered up at the other two. "What happened to her? What _was_ that? A justu?"

"Aa..." Sasuke responded, walking around Tenten and towards his teammates, sending them a meaningful look. Sakura jogged after him and gestured for Neji and Lee to follow them.

"Come on, we have to bring her to Tsunade, okay?"

* * *

"I'm a what?" Tenten asked in disbelief, staring at the Hokage across her desk. "I can't believe that, I would have known if I was a demon."

"We prefer the term 'Jinchuuriki.'" Naruto told her from the corner, his arms crossed in annoyance - he was making it _very_ obvious that he was angry at his teammates for fighting before he could get there.

"But... I still would have known... right?" She asked, ignoring the people behind her and focusing entirely on Tsunade - the only normal one in the room, in her words.

"Not neccesarily." Tsunade said, clasping her hands in front of her and frowning. "The village didn't even know, there was no way for you to know unless your demon contacted you directly. And we've learned from experience that they'd rather stay out of human lives."

"I'm a Jinchuuriki?" Tenten asked herself in a hushed voice, her eyes falling to her lap weakly. "But...how?"

"But, Shishou, I saw Tenten's seal when I healed her earlier, and it looked different than mine." Sakura said, sitting casually in the couch at the side of the Hokage's office. "Why would that be? I thought all the demon's were sealed the same."

Tsunade frowned and stood up, waving her hand airily. Sakura immediately leaned back, and pulled the bottom of her shirt above her belly button. The inky, black swirls wrapped around in a fist-sized design over her stomach. Tsunade's frown deepened. Sakura leaned over to pull up the bottom of Sasuke's shirt to examine his, looking between the two. They were identical. She looked over at her brother and he obediantly pulled his shirt up.

"But, we all have the same." Sakura said immediately, glancing between the three seals again.

"Great, now I'm the freak of the freaks." Tenten muttered sarcastically, they all ignored her.

"From what I know, Tenten's is what it's supposed to look like. I'm not sure why your's are different." The Hokage admitted softly, moving back to her desk in confusion.

"I do." Naruto said suddenly from the corner.

They all shot him strange looks and asked in perfect unison. "_You_ do?"

"Yeah." He said, confused at why they hadn't figured it out before him. "Because that Akatsuki leader guy blessed us or something... remember? That's why we can hear each other..."

Sasuke and Sakua exchanged glances, both of them looking back to the seals on their belly's. The normal black, swirly design - now that they looked at them closer - there was another design pressed over that. One that looked strangely like the cross between the Akatsuki cloud and a rain drop. The three frowned deeply.

"So, does that mean that none of the others will have Nagato's protection like we do?" Sakura asked in a hushed voice, fear flitting across her face.

"It looks that way." Tsunade said thoughtfully, closing her eyes and sighing. "But, Tenten was in that clearing, as well. Why didn't his powers affect her?"

"Because Nagato didn't know she was there." Sakura responded subconciously.

"Ne, Baa-chan? What are the chances that the other Jinchuuriki are in Konoha, too? I mean all four of us were, right...?" Naruto asked, pulling himself into a standing posistion so he could better view the room.

"Normally, I would tell you that we would've known about it. But you, Naruto, were the only one we were aware of. How the demons were sealed without our knowing it is beyond me..." Tsunade said, throwing her arms up in the air and frowning. "Shizune?" The other woman rushed into the room. "Go find Jiraiya and bring him here."

Shizune pouted lightly but raced from the room. They waited until her footsteps had faded before continueing.

"But, Shishou, I was born in Cloud, remember?" Sakura said immediately, looking her teacher in the eye.

"You were?" The other four room occupants asked in unison.

"Oh, yes, I had forgotten that. Is there anyway that someone from that village sealed the Gobi in you?" Tsunade asked, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"um.... Yeah, I suppose so. My Grandfather also said that I was meant to be a weapon. I just thought he meant that I was going to participate in a war or something..." She anwered in confusion, her eyes distant as if viewing something the others couldn't see.

Tsunade frowned again and stood up, walking over to the metal cabinet next to her desk. She lightly skimmed the files before selecting two and tossing them to Sasuke and Tenten - respectively. They flipped them open carefully, to stare at a picture of themselves - their ninja photo. Sakura leaned over Sasuke's shoulder to look at it in amusement.

"Is it just me or do we all looked stoned in these pictures?" She asked conversationally, tilting her head to the side curiously. "What're these for, Shishou?"

"Find anything in there that could mean a demon was sealed in you. If we find enough of a pattern, we may be able to find out how many others are in Konoha." Tsunade answered, leaning back in her chair to grab a pile of papers she needed to authorize. Naruto eventually drifted over to his teammates to help Sasuke scan through his folder, though they all left Tenten alone - in case she blew up at them. They stayed in Tsunade's office for a few hours, it was dark by the time any of them spoke a word.

"Here. It says that my family travelled to their vacation home when I was born. That when they brought a baby back, when they didn't have one leaving, it caused a major border problem." Sasuke said airily, his eyes skimming the rest of the paper. "There's also a side note that says people should keep an eye on him - me, because the Uchiha may have done something to make him stronger..."

Tenten gently placed hers on top of Tsunade's desk and gestured at a certain paragraph.

"Tenten's parents were sent on a mission to examine the country of Sound - when it was still growing - and came back with a baby. It was believed that they must've been attacked, and the shock caused their baby to be delivered early. But, if they needed to seal a demon inside her, that could cause enough shock." Tsunade read, just as the door slammed open.


	4. Special Seals

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the charecters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. lmao.

* * *

_'I'd rather have a moment of wonderfull than a lifetime of nothing special.'_

_-Unknown._

* * *

Jiraiya burst into the room with a huge frown on his face, as if the room itself had caused him a personal wrong. His eyes darted between the occupants of the room in confusion, his anger dying when he saw the children. His gaze finally rested on Tsunade.

"What did you call me for? You ruined my research." He accused her in annoyance, crossing his arms.

Shizune quietly slipped from the room, closing the door behind her.

"Tenten is a Jinchuuriki." Tsunade informed him calmly, a slight quiver of amusement in her voice.

"Who?" Was his first question.

"Her!" Tsunade cried, gesturing at Tenten. "We now have reason to believe that more Jinchuuriki may reside in Konoha, making it an irresistable target for the Akatsuki. It is impossible to tell if a person is a Jinchuuriki without a written record, their tesimony, or proof of the Demon's powers - which is very dangerous. Oh, and I need your help because Sakura put a five-pronged seal on Tenten and we can't figure out how to get it off. Naruto says that you can do that."

He blinked a few times before grinning suggestively. "Alright, girl, take your shirt off."

"Jiraya!" Tsunade yelled at him, at the exact moment that Naruto cried. "Pervy-Sage!"

Jiraiya just laughed happily about it and waved his hand airily. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding." He reassured them, laughing even harder when he saw Tenten's terrfied expression. "Just stand up and I'll take that seal right off. But, I will have to look at your stomach. Do you have any reservations with pulling your shirt up a little?"

Tenten bit her lip - to cut off any angry reply she might say - and pulled up the bottom half of her shirt, showing the inky mark underneath.

"Well, well, this is even stronger than the one Orochimaru used. Did Itachi teach this to you, Sakura?" He asked over his shoulder subconciously, as he pulled his hand back and dug it into Tenten's stomach. "It's very well made."

"Thank you." Sakura said quietly, ignoring his earlier question and the looks that her teammates shot her.

Tenten let out a cry of pain and slumped forward, unconcious. Tsunade cleared her throat nervously as Jiraiya gestured at Sasuke and Sakura to get of the couch, and placing Tenten where they had been.

"Perhaps it would be best if one of you took care of her until she recovers." Tsunade told them, her eyes flickering between the three Jinchuuriki in front of her. They exchanged nervous glances. "It wouldn't be good to have her lose control again, when you three aren't around."

"Actually, I've been considering this for a while." Sasuke stated thoughtfully, leaning against the wall. "Wouldn't it be safer for the citizens of Konoha if we lived outide the city?"

Tsunade frowned and his teammates shot him confused looks. "What are you proposing?" The Hokage asked him suspiciously.

"Well, the Uchiha district is outside town and there isn't anyone else to get in the way. Suigetsu, Karin and Jugo can handle themselves with Jinchuuriki around." He answered, glancing around the room casually.

"Yes, that does make the most sense." She muttered softly.

"And we're still close enough to town that we can visit our families whenever we want!" Naruto cheered, pumping his fist in the air. "Dattebayo!"

* * *

"So, lemme get this straight, not only are the five of us going to stay here, but now there are going to be seven more people? Including this blond moron and the unconcious sadist?" Karin asked, annoyance dripping from her voice. There was a huge frown on her mouth and her eyes were flashing dangerously. "Why didn't you consult us first?!"

"Isn't your house, Karin." Sakura stated from beside their large table as she sipped her tea lightly.

"It isn't your house either, Pinky!" Karin snapped back, her gaze shifting from the pink-haired kunoichi to the blond beside her. "And _you_! What makes you think you can just walk in here and move in?!"

"Sasuke and Sakura told me that I could." Naruto answered simply, as if he really couldn't understand why she was yelling so much.

"So? You still have no right to barge in on our lives like that." She snapped back, switching her angry glare to Naruto.

Naruto frowned. "I grew up with no parents, lady, and just found my mother a few years ago. I don't have a house to call my own and most of the village hates me. When I thought that I had a single right to live at my friends place, it was pulled out from under me." His lip jutted out slightly and his eyes started shimmering - in the perfect image of the puppy dog eyes.

Karin stared at him in disbelief for a few minutes before rushing out of the room in annoyance. Naruto grinned over at his teammates and high-fived his sister.

"Wow, I never thought that that would work with Karin, she never seemed like that kind of person." Suigetsu said conversationally, wincing when her door slammed loudly from the other side of the Uchiha house. "So, you - and whatever other Jinchuuriki you guys find - are going to stay here with us?"

"I guess so." Naruto responded, observing the other man suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged airily. "Just wondering how long Tag Team S is gonna stay alive."

"Oh, please don't start that again." Sakura begged, pressing her forehead against the wooden table and groaning.

He grinned at her but shut up, ignoring the questioning looks Naruto was sending them. Sasuke sighed and looked out the window thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing substantially. Sakura glanced over at him nervously, it wasn't like him to switch moods so suddenly.

"Sasuke?" She asked him in a hushed voice, ignoring Naruto and Suigetsu's argument of 'kunai versus sword.' "Are you okay?"

He nodded grimly. "Sakura..." He began, taking a deep breath before continueing. "Do you think my parents knew where Shichibi was? Is that why Itachi killed them?"

Sakura frowned, placing her hand gently on his shoulder. "You can't blame yourself, Sasuke. It's not yo-"

"Not my fault?!" He snapped, slapping her hand off him and standing up quickly to glare down at her. "My entire clan was killed because I have a monster inside of me! How is that _not_ my fault? Because if you know something that you're not telling me, then I'd like to know! Do you? _Do you?_!"

Sakura stared up at him in confusion, completely unaware of what to say to him or what she had done to make him so anger. Annoyance flashed across the Uchiha's face and he stormed out of the room. Naruto and Suigetsu turned to her in confusion, asking her what had made him so angry, without using words. She shrugged in response, her frown deepening.

"I'm going to go out for a walk, okay, guys? I need some air." Sakura said slowly, standing up and slipping outside.

She headed straight for the small pond that was built into their yard, sitting next to it and letting her feet slip into the water as her mind went over the days events. She was aware of the presence before they had even entered Uchiha boundaries but made no move to fight, this _was_ techinically his property, anyway.

"Itachi." Sakura greeted lightly as the Uchiha stepped out of the bushes slowly.

"Sakura." He responded, nodding his head in acknowledgement, his eyes flickering to the house behind her. "Troubles in paradise?"

"I wouldn't exactly call my life paradise, Itachi." She told him, pulling her legs up to her chest and resting her chin on her knees - forcing herself not to look at his eyes. "But, yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Every person's life is a paradise to someone, Sakura." He shot back logically, glancing around before sitting down - at the opposite side of the pond than her. "There used to be ducks here, and turtles. My mother took her here to feed them once or twice."

"Hmmm." She said, barely focusing on his words. "Are you here for a reason? Or is Akatsuki life just so bad that you need to talk with someone."

He chuckled under his breath. "All of the above." He answered her, his Sharingan flickering between the water and her. "Madara sent me to find out how protected your posistion is, and the easiest way not to raise sucpision was too confront you."

"Oh... I don't see how talking with me won't be sucpicious." She stated in a monoton, her gaze shifting from the pond to the stars above them.

"If I ran as soon as you sense my presence, your friends would be on me like a pack of dogs."

"Ah."

They didn't speak for a few minutes, both of them mentally observing the house behind her - and the residents lack of chakra-sensing abilities. Sakura sighed lightly.

"Didn't you have a chakra-locator on your team the last time we met?" Itachi asked conversationally, his eyes skimming the walls of his old house.

"Aa..." Sakura responded without looking away from the sky.

"Our roles have been reversed, Sakura. I'm the one talking, and you're the one listening." He told her in a joking tone.

"So they have..." She muttered, pulling a blade of grass up to her eye level and examining it.

Itachi frowned and reevaluated the house behind her. "I am not familiar with one of the people in your house, Sakura. Anyone I would know?" The tiny glint in his eyes showed that he already knew who Tenten was and of the demon inside her.

"No."

"Aren't you curious to learn about her demon?"

"No."

"You don't want to know anything?"

She paused, her eyes flickering to his suspiciously. "I want to know why you're trying to kill us Jinchuuriki." She answered.

Itachi frowned but shrugged. "I see no harm in telling you, of course, but Madara would have my head if he learned that I was the one to let you in on our plan. It is rather obvious once you know the purpose behind it all." He told her, almost smugly. "But..."

"I'm not re-joining the Akatsuki. Now, if that's all you have to say, I'll be going." Sakura stood up and spun on her heel, heading back towards the house.

"Very nice, Sakura. The best deal is made when your opposition knows you're willing to walk away. I believe I was the one who taught you that." He said distractedly, hesitating when she didn't stop walking. "I won't tell you what our purpose - or plan - is, but I will give you a clue to the Sanbi's location."

Sakura slowled to a stop - not turning around - her entire attention was on Itachi.

"That's right. You already know where the Ichibi and Nibi reside. But, what of the Sanbi?" He asked her lightly, watching her back stiffen with amusement. "Sanbi no Isonade. The Three-Tailed Turtle..." He sighed dramatically. "Resided in Mist until - what is it now? Seventeen? No... - about Nineteen years ago, I suppose it is. Has a few problems with basic jutsu, but who's going to judge a gigantic turtle. Is that enough clues for you?"

"Nineteen years ago can cover anyone in Konoha who was in the same class as Team Guy." Sakura informed him, ice coating her words as she started walking back to the house. "Come back tommorrow and try again."

"Oh? Did I only tell you his age?" Itachi asked, as if backtracking to find a mistake. "Well, I'm sorry, Sakura. I think I will come back tommorrow, to see how far you've gotten with my _one_ clue."

Sakura frowned, glancing over her shoulder when he disappeared. Her eyes widened momentarily. _Of course!_ She turned away from the house in front of her and bolted in the general direction of Konhagakure.


	5. Sanbi no Isonade

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the charecters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. lmao.

* * *

_Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear._

_-Albert Camus_

* * *

Sakura rushed down the empty, dark streets of Konoha. At this point at night, there were only a few people out. Ninja that had just returned from their missions and were sleepily heading home, and the drunk citizens of Konohagkure. To say the least, she didn't have to worry about being seen - or sensed. She was sure that - when she left the Uchiha District - no one had noticed her chakra presence disappear. Karin was to caught up in her own cloud of anger to tell if anyone left, Sasuke was no better, Naruto and Suigetsu were too busy argueing, Tenten was still unconsious, but Jugo was the problem. She knew that he had gone out earlier - a bit after they brought Tenten to their house - but she hadn't sensed his presence since, the chances were high that he near the pond and had seen the interaction. But, if that had been true, she would feel his presence following her. She didn't.

Sakura shook her head, ridding herself of the negative thoughts. It wouldn't matter if any of them figured out that she had left, anyway, but it would be better for her - at the moment - to work alone for a while. She let out a soft growl and slowed when she approached the Hokage tower, jogging up the stairs as fast as she could. When she neared the Hokage's office, she could hear two voices talking in a hushed whisper:

Jiraiya and Tsunade.

The pink-haired kunoichi frowned and pressed her ear against the door.

"It's hard to imagine, Tsunade. The nine Jinchuuriki right under out noses? I have trouble believeing that no one has noticed, yet. And Orochimaru wouldn't have left them alone and just leaving. He always seemed like the kind of person who would know everything that went on around him." Jiraiya was saying quietly, his voice strangely thougtful.

"I know, Jiraiya. But, we already found _four_ Jinchuuriki in our village? Is it that hard to imagine more?" Tsunade countered, taking a few deep breaths.

Sakura rolled her eyes and opened the door, ignoring the shocked looks the two Sannin sent her when she entered.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm just here to grab a folder, I'll get out of your way as soon as I find it." She told them, walking to the metal filing cabinet and opening it.

"You're not supposed to go in there, Sakura." Tsunade sighed, rubbing her temples.

"It'll just take a sec, I promise." She responded over her shoulder, opening another drawer when the first showed no results.

"I'm telling you, Tsunade, she's going places." Jiraiya said with a laugh. "Probably the only person who won't get thrown, pushed and/or shoved through a wall when she looks through your stuff."

Tsunade sighed again just as Sakura pulled out a folder and opened it quickly, her eyes skimming over the page. "I knew it!" She cried, tightening her grip on the folder and racing out of the room.

"Probably the only one who could take something of yours without death involved, too." He added gleefully.

Sakura broke away from the Hokage's building and rushed around town, there was no address on this file and she had no idea where he lived. She'd just have to guess and check until she felt his chakra pattern. She raced towards the Western side of Konoha, hoping against hope that he didn't have a mission that day. She was already passed the Hokage tower - and well into the Eastern district - when she felt his chakra pattern. She spun on her heel and bolted in that direction, barely stopping herself from slamming into his door. Her fist hit the wood with a dull thud. The door opened slowly.

"Neji, I'm sure that Tenten is fi-fi-f- Hey, Sakura-san!" Lee stuttered when Sakura came into view - his face growing a whole new shade of red.

"Hi, Lee. Um.... Neji?" Sakura asked sketically, raising an eyebrow.

"He's been over here a lot, checking if I've heard anything about Tenten yet." He answered quickly, his face growing even brighter - if that was possible.

"Oh, well, Tenten's still unconsious, but can I talk to you about something?" She asked, tilting her head to the side calmly.

He froze for a moment before jumping out of the doorway - as if it had burned him - and rushing into his kitchen to make tea. A few minutes later he came back with a kettle full of boiling water and an arm full of every tea imaginable.

"What did you want to talk about, Sakura-san?" He asked excitedly, as if she had just agreed to finally go on a date with him - which she didn't.

"It's kind of complicated, you might want to sit down." She told him warily, watching him jump into the seat across from her and grin. _He think I'm admitting my love to him... Damn, why does he have to make this so hard?_ "Well, have you figured out what's wrong with Tenten?"

He nodded happily. "Yes, Neji and I figured that she must be a Jinchuuriki to and whatever seal you used on her reacted badly with her chakra and she's sick now." He told her impatiently, assuming that she was just stalling.

"Alright, well you're almost right. Tenten is a Jinchuuriki - the Nibi - but it isn't my seal that messed her up. Jiraiya had to undo mine and released her chakra too fast, that'll make anyone sick. It's like the oppoiste of the Gentle Fist techinque, but all at once." She paused thoughtfully, her eyebrows knitting together slightly. "But, if you don't understand anything, then just tell me and I'll try to explain it better." He nodded his understanding. "So, I - well, _we_ -thought that if there were already four Jinchuuriki in Konoha, who's to say there aren't more? So, I did some reasearch. None of the demons would've been sealed near Konoha or there would've been a record of it. So, if anyone was a Jinchuuriki, they must have moved here later or were born in another country, right?"

"Yes, but why are you telling me this?" Lee asked cheerfully.

"Just hold onto the happiness, alright, Lee?" Sakura asked him weakly, upset that she had come at all and let Itachi control her like that. He nodded again. "I have....reason to belive that.... you're also a Jinchuuriki."

Lee froze across from her.

Sakura hastily added. "You fit the description of someone who would have the Sanbi inside you! You can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu - he can't either - you were born outside Konoha and then left at an orphange, right? Well, maybe your parents were just scared of the Sanbi, or something. It all fits. I swear that I'll leave you alone if you can prove me wrong, but I have a test that'll tell us whether you are or not."

Lee stared at her in disbelief, barely blinking. He nodded, his way of telling her to continue.

"You just need to focus your chakra into your stomach. If you're a Jinchuuriki, the seal should appear, ok?"

He nodded again and pulled the top half of the jumpsuit off - much to Sakura's embaresment - and clasped his hands in the seal for 'tiger.' His chakra slowly melded towards his stomach and an inky black mark - the same as Tenten's - appeared on his stomach.

_**'You sure are on a roll, child**_.' Houkou congratulated her Jinchuuriki softly. _**'You have found more than half already. Only Yonbi, Rokubi and Hachibi to go.'**_

_'Great. Any hints?'_ Sakura asked, knowing the answer before her demon could tell her.

_**'We are not allowed to alert our hosts to the other Jinchuuriki, Cherry Blossom. I believe I told you this already**_**.'**

Sakura smiled softly and looked over at Lee. "You're welcome to stay with us, if you want. We're starting a....uh.... I guess it's a safe haven for us Jinchuuriki. There's no risk for the villagers of Konoha if we lose control and others are always around to help if we do." She shrugged casually, mentally sighing. "Of course, we're still close enough the village to visit our family and friends and go on missions and stuff."

He didn't respond, just stared at the black mark on his stomach in disbelief.

"Uh....Lee? You're reallly freaking me out here." Sakura said nervously. Frowning when a strange expression passed ove his face. "Lee? Are you alright? I can leave if you want some time to adj-"

Without warning, Lee launched himself at Sakura - tackling her into his couch and pressing his lips against hers. She shoved against his chest with all her strength - even going so far as to use her chakra - but he didn't move, his arms trailing to her waist. She shuddered in fear, but he took it as a thing of pleasure and smiled against her lips.

_Damnit! What the hell is wrong with him?! Get off, get off, get off_! She cried in her thoughts, slamming her fists into his chest as he pressed himself against her. _Help, damnit, help me. Naruto! Sasuke! Please let them hear me. Help me! Somebody!_

Lee kept one hand at her waist but the other travelled to her hair and it gently caressed the back of her head. He about to move his other hand farther south, when a fist collided with his face. Sakura gasped to get the air into her lungs when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her, in a comforting way not the forcefull way Lee had just been doing.

"You bastard." Naruto hissed, his normally blue eyes were flashing red with the Kyuubi's pent up anger as he glared at the blow-cut boy. "You bastard. I'm gonna kill you!"

Sakura closed her eyes and opened her mouth but no words came out. _Naruto, stop, please. He's a Jinchuuriki_. She begged, her eyes peering up at the man holding her pleadingly. Sasuke looked down at her in shock.

"I don't care!" Naruto cried, his eyes locked on Lee's. "I'm your older brother so it's my job to protect you!"

"Naruto." Sasuke said in a commanding voice. The blond turned around slowly. "Take Sakura back home."

"But, Sasuke-" Both siblings cried in unison, for completely different reasons.

"No. You both will have to trust me. I won't kill him but I'll give him good reason to keep his hands to himself." Sasuke said, his voice no more than a snarl. His Sharingan slowly appeared as he handed Sakura to her brother. "Take her _straight_ back, Naruto."

"Naruto, don't." Sakura said in a hushed voice, pulling away from her two teammates - her gaze shifting to Sasuke. "You have no right no tell me what to do, Sasuke. I came here on my own, true, and this is what happened, but you have _no_ right to tell me what to do. You can't just.... just call me your girlfriend one minute, then use me as a verbal punching bag the next, and then act all possesive when another guy tries to kiss me! You can't control me. So stop trying, Uchiha!"

She spun on her heel and stormed from the room, heading for the Uchiha District and hoping that Karin was in a better mood so the pink-haired kunoichi could vent.


	6. End of an Era

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the charecters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. lmao.

* * *

_Never be sad for what is over, just be glad that it was once yours._

_-Unknown._

* * *

Sakura leaned against the wall moodily and observed her two closest friends quietly, watching them both process the information she had just given them. Karin looked angry about the situation - partly at Lee, partly at the Uchiha brothers and partly jealously - but remained quiet to think it through properly. Tenten looked angrier, but only at Lee and Sasuke, she was already making plans to hurt her team-mates. Sakura sighed.

"This is really weird." Tenten stated, her eyes were narrowed as she sharpened her kunai menacingly. "It doesn't seem like something Lee would do. I mean, pledging your undying love to someone is one thing. But, rape?"

Sakura shuddered at the word, but forced herself to talk. "Like I said before, I don't think Lee knew he was doing it. If I know the Akatsuki - and I do - Itachi used Mangekyo Sharingan on Lee to get him to jump me." She shrugged, trying to be casual. "I mean, can you really put it past them? It seems like something they would do, ne?"

"I agree with that." Karin said softly, her anger was evident from the slight quiver when she talked. "But, how did he know that you would actually go to Lee's house? No, actually, how did he know you would go there _alone_?"

"He knows me to well." Sakura responded airily, he eyes flickering outside to the still black sky. "He gave me the information when I was pissed off at Sasuke, knowing that I would go there as a way to vent my frustrations constructively. It would only be a simple task of tracking Lee down before he talked to me, for Itachi, anyway."

Tenten and Karin nodded slowly. The former frowned. "Okay, if this wasn't Lee's fault then why did he let Naruto and Sasuke beat him up?"

"Itachi used the Mangekyou. I'm not really sure, but he could probably make Lee think is was his own idea or something like that." Sakura countered weakly, letting herself slide down the wall so that she was sitting on the floor.

Tenten sighed. "Wouldn't Sasuke just be able to undo it then?" Tenten asked logically, inspecting the kunai's edge in the light.

"No, Sasuke doesn't have the Mangekyou. He _might_ be able to cover it with another illusion but it'd be too dangerous to try. Itachi and Madara are the only ones who can set fix it." Sakura responded lightly, closing her eyes.

"Still can't believe it..." Tenten muttered under breath, shoving the kunai carefully back into its holster. "Well, we'll leave so you can sleep. You've been up all night haven't you?"

Sakura nodded weakly and forced herself to stand up as she closed her window. "Night." She called after them as they closed the door, glancing down at her plush, Uchiha-style bed with a sigh.

* * *

Sasuke sat at the side of the small Uchiha district's lake, staring at the rippling water with a frown. He could still feel Sakura's chakra presence on the grass - the remanents of where she had been sitting earlier - and the strangely familiar remenants of someone else who had been standing across the lake from her. He had no doubt in his mind that the person - whoever it was - had convinced Sakura to go find Lee and that they had also - probably - convinced Lee to attack Sakura. He growled viciously and swore under his breath, his hand moving to his swore hilt - like it did whenever he was angry at something - as he glared at the treeline around him, mentally willing the strange person to reappear.

He bit back another swear and glanced back at his house.

_What's wrong with me? Why was I so angry earlier?_ He asked himself lightly, letting himself flop onto the grass where Sakura had been sitting earlier. _It's not like me to take my anger out on others, especially people who hadn't done anything to me. I had no right yelling at Sakura like that... what's wrong with me?_

He froze, a low snarl echoing from his throat. It _wasn't_ like him to yell at someone like that, especially not at Sakura. It wasn't like Lee to jump someone like that and it wasn't like Sakura to rush into something things like that without telling anything. It was like they had all been forced into doing it by something else. _There's only one person who could do something like that..._

"Sasuke?"

He spun around, his hand darting to his sword again as he was suddenly aware of a presence behind him. The blade was a few inches out of its sheath when he froze.

"Sakura...." He murmured softly, observing her calm expression. "What are you doing here?"

"Sorry, hadn't realized you were here. I'll leave if you want..." She offered quietly, turning halfway back towards the Uchiha building.

"No." Sasuke said quickly, his hand darting out to grab her shoulder. "No, you can stay.... I....actually wanted to talk to you. I'm really sorry about yelling at you earlier, but it-"

"Wasn't your fault." Sakura responded calmly, turning back to him easily - with no anger written on her face. "It wasn't my fault that I went to Lee's alone and it wasn't his fault that he jumped on me."

He frowned. "How did you know that?"

"Well, what other reason would Itachi have for coming here and telling me about Lee?" She countered, frowning.

Sasuke bit back a swear. "Itachi was _here_." He snarled, barely containing his anger.

Her frown deepened. "Yes, can I go inside now?" Her tone indicated that she hadn't entirely forgiven him for his earlier anger - even if it wasn't his fault - so Sasuke forced himself to calm down.

"Listen, Sakura, I'm sorry about yelling at you before. I had no right to do that and you didn't deserve it." Sasuke said, hoping that his expression was as pleading as his voice. "I'm sorry."

Sakura's expression softened slightly. "I know...." She said under her breath, her eyes falling to her shoes. "That's what kills me, Sasuke... I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think it'd be best if we weren't dating anymore."

It was his turn to frown as he stared at her in disbelief. "What do you mean?" Was all he managed to ask.

"I was a member of Akatsuki, Sasuke. They won't let live that down and I don't want to let them keep using you to get at me." She explained, her eyes shimmering with un-shed tears. "It killed me when you yelled at me, it hurt _so_ much that I could barely breath. And... and I don't want to be that weak anymore, Sasuke... I'm _so_ sorry. But, we can't be anything more than friends."

Sasuke's eyes widened and he stepped forward immediately, pulling her into his arms and pressing his lips against hers. She melted against him and her hands started shaking at her sides, tears streaming down her face. He pulled away when air became a problem and looked down at her.

"Look me in the eye, and tell me that you don't feel the same way about me." He ordered her, keeping his arms placed on her waist.

Another tear slipped down her cheek as she looked him in the eye. "Sasuke, I love you.... but... I'm sorry, we can't be together." She slipped out of his grip and walked back towards the house, wiping the tears off her face.

_**That will crush him, Child**_**.** Houkou said gently, her tone was maternal.

_'I know and it kills me to walk away, but its for his own good. No one should ever come near me until the Akatsuki have been destroyed.'_ Sakura responded, closing her eyes painfully.

_**What about **_**your**_** feelings?**_ The Gobi countered lightly, sadness creeping across her voice as if Sakura's pain was affecting her to.

_'My feelings aren't worth a damn as long as my loved ones are safe.'_ Sakura choked out, opening the japanese style door and stepped into the living room.

_**'Always the martyr...**_' Houkou muttered, her voice drifting away.

Sakura ignored the concerned looks the others sent her and walked passed them towards her room. She slipped inside and closed the door behind her, pressing her back against the wood and slidding down until she was sitting on the floor. She pulled her legs to her chest and rested her forehead on her knees as the sobs shook her shoulders and echoed around the room quietly.

* * *

Sasuke stormed back into his house, ignoring the questions the others were sending them. His plan was to go into his room and only come out to yell at others for making too much noise - if they did - and to eat, but that was ruined when Naruto stepped into his path.

"What did you do to make her cry?" He demanded, glaring daggers at the raven-haired boy.

"The 'big brother' role doesn't suit you, Naruto. _Move_." Sasuke commanded, stepping to the right so he could go around the blond.

Naruto stepped in front of him again. "No. What did you do to my sister?" He repeated, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"Nothin-"

"Did you yell at her again?"

"No-"

"Did you hurt her somehow?"

"N-"

"Did you dump her?"

"She dumped me."

Naruto froze, with his mouth halfway open - midway through another question - as he stared at Sasuke in disbelief. The room next to them went deathly silent as Sasuke moved past his teammate and towards his room.


	7. Kazekage Descends

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the charecters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. lmao.

* * *

_"The day we lose our need for dreams is the day the human race forfeits its soul." _

_-John Chiam_

* * *

Sakura lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling above her with a moody expression. She had stopped crying a few hours earlier but still hadn't left her room. She knew that it wouldn't help anyone if she stayed there all day, but she couldn't think of any reason it would help if she left it. A part of her could still feel Sasuke's chakra presence in his room and that same part was telling her to leave so it'd give him the idea that he could to, but she just couldn't work up the strength. After a few more moments of self-loathing, she forced herself into a sitting posistion as she estimated the distance to her window and how far she'd be able to get before someone noticed she was gone. She sighed to herself and jumped out the window, masking her chakra. _Might as well find out..._

Sakura darted down away from the Uchiha district, using as little chakra as possible, and followed the same path she had earlier. She stayed on the rooftops, there were too many people on the streets now to make it possible for her to sneak through them, and headed towards the Hokage tower. She launched herself off the last roof and landed on the staircase, walking the last few meters to Tsunade's office. She opened the door without thinking it through and froze in the doorway.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll come back later." Sakura said quickly, her eyes flickering between her Hokage and the Kazekage of Sand: Gaara.

"No, Sakura, you've actually saved me the trouble of having to summon one of you." Tsunade responded before her apprentice could close the door. "The Kazekage has important information he would like you Jinchuuriki to know. Would you like to tell her or should I?"

Gaara nodded and walked towards the door, using his sand to push Sakura from the room. The pink-haired kunoichi sent Tsunade a bewildered expression before the sand closed the door. The instant the door was closed, sand swirled around the two and - when it finally disappeared - they were standing on top of the Hokage mountain. Sakura blinked a few times, adjusting her eyes to the light.

"So, what did you wanna talk about, Gaara?" She asked conversationally, gazing over the village calmly.

He didn't answer, but created a chair out of sand and sat in it, observing her carefully.

She sighed weakly. "C'mon, Gare-bear, what information do you have?"

Gaara winced at the nickname, his sand shifting restlessly at his feet. "You seem different." He stated, waving his hand so another chair appeared across from him.

Sakura sighed again and sat down. "Yeah, a lot of stuff has happened, you know, since we've last seen each other." She said gently, leaning against the sand. "Lots has happened since we were dating, Gaara...."

Gaara nodded lightly and tossed a folder into her lap. "I ordered Temari and Kankuro to do some research when I heard you were collecting Jinchuuriki." He told her, watching her open the folder.

"I'm not _collecting_ them, Gaara. That makes me sound like as Akatsuki." She corrected, her eyes skimming over the first page. "I don't understand what this is."

"We figured that there might be more records in Suna than in Konoha, our Elders have always seemed more 'hands-on' than yours have." He answered her, using his sand to flip a few pages. "We believe this may indicate a Sealing, going by the information you have already gathered, correct? A family that left Fire's borders when one was pregnant and going to another country, coming back with a baby. A child that has - perhaps - a strange set of powers that cannot be comprehended, even by his clan members."

Sakura observed the pages slightly. "I still don't understand. You could have ordered any of your villagers to deliver this, yet you can yourself. Taking a huge risk. Why?"

Gaara shook his head slowly. "It's because _I_ don't understand, Sakura. Ichibi does not find your presence to be a danger to me, but _all_ humans are capable of murder. I cannot kill you, something stops me and I can't figure out what it is." He said, raising his hand as his sand slowly melded around Sakura's legs and started moving up the rest of her body. "When I saw you at the Chunin exams, it concerned me, but no more than that. I simply played it off as your weakness, you were not strong enough to harm me so Ichibi was not concerned. But, when you jumped in the way of my attack, that theory was disproved. Later, I assumed that I could not kill you because you were my girlfriend, but we are no longer dating and yet I still cannot harm you..." He paused, watching his sand absorb her shoulders. "Why are you not scared?"

She frowned before giggling lightly. "Why should I be? I trust you not to hurt me." She said, as if the answer was obvious.

He growled under his breath and his hand twitched, causing the sand to tighten around her body. She stiffened slightly, but kept her eyes locked on his as the sand reached her chin.

"I came because I wish to know why you can be so calm around me, and why I cannot kill you." He told her gently, shaking his head again. "Why do you trust me with your life?"

She frowned. "Because you're not a killer, Gaara. You're my friend."

He stiffened, letting his hand fall back to his side - his sand falling to her feet. "I don't understand your level of trust, but I will stay with it and give you one more piece of advice before I depart." He stood up slowly, observing her carefully. "You may not be treated as the demons you contain inside you, but anyone would be stupid to risk their people with more than two in their village. The more Jinchuuriki you find, the more the chance that you will be banned from Konoha. I know that a few people have already been complaining about the risk I hold, in my own village. I do not wish to start where we left off, but please stay safe."

Sakura smiled softly and walked towards him, pulling him into a hug. "Yeah, I'm fine with the whole friends thing, but how am I supposed to stay safe with a demon inside me? Think before you say stuff, Gare-bear."

He chuckled lightly and stepped away from her, nodding his head and disappearing in a wave of sand. Sakura glanced down at the folder in her hand and sighed.

"Might as well follow up on his tip, I guess...." She glanced down at the folder in her hand, knowing how much the others would hate her if she left without them - even if she did come back with another Jinchuuriki. She sighed and disappeared in a flash of cherry blossoms, reappearing in front of their house and came face-to-face with the Hyuuga prodigy. She gasped and fell backwards, flailing her arms to regain her balance. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back into a standing position.

"Ah, Neji, uh, hi there." Sakura said awkwardly, pulling away from him and frowning.

"Hello, Sakura." He said formally, bowing his head and walking past her. "I would love to stay and chat but I have a mission. I was just checking how Tenten was doing."

Sakura nodded, turning to walk back into the Uchiha house before thinking better of it and turning back to him. "Hey, Neji, I have a question for you."

He frowned and glanced over his shoulder at her. "And it would be?"

"Did anyone in your family have a baby outside Konoha? I mean, I know it sounds crazy but it could really help us out if you answered...." Her voice trailed off as she observed him carefully.

His frown deepened. "It is an annual tradition in my family to travel to our vacation home near Suna's border. Both Hinata and I were born there. Does that answer your question?"

Sakura shook her head slowly. "Hanabi wasn't born out there? Didn't you say it was annual?"

"Yes, it was, but we stopped going when my father died." Neji told her, turning on heel and heading back to Konoha.

Sakura frowned and turned into the building, walking towards the living room after kicking her shoes off in the doorway. She wandered over to the small group of people and flopped down across from Tenten.

"So..." She started slowly, her head tilting to the side curiously. "What did Neji want?"

Tenten sighed and shrugged. "He wanted to know how I was handling it and if that fact that Lee and I are Jinchuuriki would get in the way of his training. He seemed iffy, though, like there was something he wasn't telling me." Her voice trailed off and she glanced at Sakura. "Why? You don't think that _Neji_ is..."

Sakura shook her head slowly. "It's more hope than anything else, Tenten. There are a lot of families that left around that time period and half of them probably came back with kids. It was the end of a war and there was a high chance that another country would launch an attack, you'd have to be stupid to stay." She responded softly, sighing lightly. "I just want to find the other three Jinchuuriki so we can keep an eye on them."

Tenten smirked comically. "Just because you want to keep the Jinchuuriki on a short leash, doesn't mean you have to bring my team-mate in on this." She joked, leaning back slightly and glancing towards the hallway when Sasuke, Naruto and Suigetsu came out arguing about something or other.

Sakura cleared her throat nervously and slid the folder across the table to Tenten. "So, Gaara did some research in Suna and this is what he found. He said that any family who has a kid around our age that left Fire around the time of the war is a potential Jinchuuriki candidate."

"But, that could refer to anyone, basically. Lots of families left around then, there was a major threat of attack here and lots of people wanted to get out of the line of fire… so to speak…" The older girl shot back, flipping through the folder airily.

"Yeah, there were a handful of other people who left around then, families or not." Lee added, his eyes flickering between the approaching group and the people in front of him. "Has it occurred to anyone that we may not be looking for a _family_? I mean someone could have left and had a kid with someone outside of the village or something? Maybe they're an orphan."

Sasuke sat down between Naruto and Lee. "That's highly unlikely. We're probably looking for some strong clan, or at least a family that has ties with other villages. They'd need some sort of strong force to contain the demon long enough to perform the sealing ritual." He answered, clearing his throat. "Like the Uchiha clan, the fourth Hokage… I'm not really sure where everyone else was sealed, but it was probably by a powerful clan."

"Like the Hyuuga clan?" Sakura asked, her head snapping in Sasuke's direction.

He frowned, but nodded. "Yeah…. Why? Have you found something?"

She shrugged. "Depends how you define 'something,' I guess. Gaara gave me a list of people who left Konoha during the estimated time period - as many as he knows, at least - and gave the background files he had on those that were most likely to seal a demon."

His frown deepened. "And the Hyuugas were on this list?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, and Neji himself told me that his family used to vacation at a place near Suna, him and Hinata were both born out there."

They all fell into a discussion about how to proceed. Deciding how they should go about testing their theory, and other suck topics.


	8. Meditation for the Soul

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the charecters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. lmao.

* * *

_"There is not enough darkness in all the world to put out the light of even one small candle." _

_-Robery Alden _

* * *

Sakura sat cross-legged in front of the small pond, clasping her hands together in her lap in the sign for 'tiger' and closing her eyes. She carefully opened all her chakra valves - feeling the rush of power associated with it - and focused her mind on her seal, blocking it from flowing into her veins. Her chakra flowed slowly through her, from the tips of her fingers to her toes to her heart then back to her fingers.

"Sakura?"

She jerked, her concentration snapping immediately as she spun around to glare at the intruder. Lee was standing there, watching her nervously.

"Can I help you with something?" She asked, barely keeping the annoyance out of her voice.

"I, uh, was just wondering what you were doing…" He said, glancing over his shoulder - already regretting his decision to come to talk with her. "You were just sitting there, and not moving… it didn't look like any jutsu I've seen before…"

"It's not." She responded, re-crossing her legs and placing her hands back into her lap. "It's a way to focus your chakra and clear up anything that may cause problems with your jutsus or something…"

His head snapped up. "You mean like not being able to focus it or use it properly?"

"Yeah, something like that." She said quietly, already falling back into her trance.

"Can I try?"

She jolted for the second time that hour, spinning around to stare at him incredulously. "What?"

"Could you teach me how to do whatever you're doing?" He repeated, frowning slightly as he observed her.

"I though you didn't have chakra or something."

"Everyone has chakra, I just can't control it properly."

"So… you think that this might help somehow?"

"Either that or it'll help me control my demons chakra later on. No harm in trying, right?"

"No harm…" Sakura repeated slowly, before sighing and gesturing at the ground a few feet away from her. "Then sit down, alright? My neck is starting to hurt staring up at you."

Lee instantly jumped onto the space she indicated and sat down, copying her position. He crossed his legs and made the 'tiger' seal, resting his hands in his lap. "What now?"

"You know how to focus on your chakra, right?" He nodded vigorously. "Okay then, focus on the way your chakra moves through your body. Starting from your fingers, because that's where the hand sign is. Follow the flow from you fingers and keep following it until you relax. After you've memorized where your chakra goes, I'll tell you what to do next."

Sakura closed her eyes the instant she finished talking and re-focused on her seal, blocking off any demonic chakra with her own chakra. When she was sure Gobi's chakra wouldn't leak out, she let her thoughts drift to the world around her. A tree rustled there, a fish found a bug at the other end of the pond, the Jinchuuriki were talking about something inside, Lee's chakra was wavering from concentration, Suigetsu and Jugo were training in a nearby field… She pushed thoughts of the environment away from her, blocking out all the noise around body. Soon, the only noises she could hear was her breathing and her heart beating. She slowed both of them and blanked her mind. Something gently touched her arm and she jumped, her eyes flying open.

"Uh… Sakura? I think I got the hang of this, what next?" Lee asked gently, lowering his hand.

"First rule: Don't bother someone when they're meditating." Sakura said, taking a deep breath before looking back at him. "Sorry. Okay, you'll always need to start by concentrating on your chakra, so there aren't any… problems with your chakra flow. If there is you're going to want to fix it, or get someone else to fix it for you."

"Problems?" He asked her, twiddling his fingers impatiently.

"Yeah, you know how it feels when Neji uses the Gentle Fist on you?" He nodded uncertainly. "Well, it'd be something like that but after meditating for a while you'll be able to clear that without any concentration at all. But, there could be other things…"

"Okay, so I start by concentrating my chakra." He said, nodding his head in understanding as he re-clasped his hands in the 'tiger' seal. "Then what?"

"Focus on the area around you, the sounds of the environment, the people near you, anything." She responded, pulling out a blade of grass and chewing on the root. "Then, as slowly as your mind allows, try to block it out. Clear your thoughts, and only focus on your breathing. It'll take a while for you to be able to be able to clear your thoughts, so just tell me when you've got it and I'll explain the next step, okay?"

He nodded and closed his eyes again. She was about to follow suit but shook her head and stood up, knowing she wouldn't be able to fall back into the her concentration.

"I'm going to go talk with the others. Keep focusing the area around you. Just try to block one thing out at a time, like the birds chirping, or something, alright? Too much will be too hard for you now." She continued back to the house, not knowing whether he had even heard her or not.

Sakura stopped at the door, noticing that Suigetsu, Jugo and Karin had all left the house and were in Konoha somewhere. There were all Jinchuuriki inside the room, she was sure from the strange way their chakra fluctuated - though she was sure she only notice now because there were no other interruptions. She opened the door and kicked her shoes off, following the chakra pressures into the living room.

She froze in the doorway, mentally counting the number of people inside it. _One, two, three, four, five….Five?!_ She frowned and did a head count, instead. _I'm here now, Lee's outside, Gaara's not here…. Five and three is eight….But, Neji and Hinata are here to… Did I miscalculate? _The room's occupants turned to her when she sat between her team-mates.

"Sorry, we didn't know if you wanted us to disturb you." Naruto muttered, his eyes shifting to the window across the room from him.

"'S no problem." Sakura responded, glancing at the two Hyuugas.

"Oh, you said something yesterday, that the Hyuuga clan would be a possibility, right? And Neji said that he and Hinata were both born outside the village." Tenten said quickly, hurrying to fill Sakura in without using any direct words - in other words, clueing Neji or Hinata into why they were really here. _They haven't told them?_ Sakura asked herself quietly. "So, we went with your advice and brought them in. So, you guys don't mind checking for Jinchuuriki?" _That's the lie they went with?_

Neji shrugged and Hinata shook her head. "What are we looking for?" The former asked in a monotone.

"Anything, I guess…" Tenten's voice trailed off, glancing around the room for someone who would continue in her place.

"What do we look like to you?" Sasuke asked, pointing at his gut. "You'll want to focus on our seals, and look as closely as you can."

Neji and Hinata exchanged a glance before activating their Byakugan and inspecting all the Jinchuuriki's seals. The entire room was silent for a few minutes, until Neji deactivated his Byakugan.

"All of you have a strange pattern on your chakra core. It almost looks like someone wrote the sign for seal on your stomachs, but there's a circular pattern, as well." He paused, glancing around the room. "Anything else or are we allowed to leave?"

"Uh, one more thing, if our 'chakra core' has a seal on it, what would it look like without the seal?" Sakura asked, an idea forming in her head.

"Yeah." Sasuke joined in, realization dawning on his face. "What's the difference between ours and yours?"

Neji frowned. "Ours does not have a seal on it, now may we go?"

They both mentally swore, but nodded. Sasuke turned to Sakura, when the Hyuugas exited the room. "Tenten lost control because she sensed Jinchuuriki chakra nearby, right?" Sakura nodded uncertainly. "You must have let out a small amount without meaning to, then, right?"

"Yeah, I guess, but wh-" Her voice trailed off as she stared at Sasuke. "You mean…"

"If we leak a small amount of chakra, Neji and Hinata will sense it." Sasuke concluded.

"So, if they're Jinchuuriki, they'll transform?" Naruto asked, his gaze darting between his two team-mates.

"Exactly!" They said in unison, flushing and averting their gazes.

"But, won't any Jinchuuriki in town also react? And what if the rest of us lose control, too?" Tenten asked, standing up to look out the window. "They're halfway to the gate, better decide soon."

"The rest of us won't react, we're used to demonic chakra by now, we've had time to get used to it and understand that we have demons inside us. They don't know that. We're too far away from town for anyone but them to react." Sasuke said quickly, rushing to the front door with Sakura tight at his heels. They both stopped, once the door was open, and made the sign for tiger. A small trickle of demonic chakra trickled away from them and towards the two cousins.


	9. Yonbi and Rokubi

_Disclaimer_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the charecters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. lmao.

* * *

'Surprises are foolish things. The pleasure is not enhanced, and the inconvenience is often considerable.'

_-Jane Austen_

* * *

Neji and Hinata stiffened the instant the demonic chakra reached them. They didn't move immediately, which made the two members of team 7 question their decision, when a blast of chakra shot out from both Hyuugas. Sakura's feet lifted off the ground momentarily from the pressure, but Sasuke grabbed her wrist in time to pull her back to the ground. When the smoke cleared, both Hyuugas had been enveloped in a thick chakra coating, with tails moving slowly behind them - two for each of them. Naruto, Lee and Tenten burst from the door, both froze when they saw the two Hyuugas - who had turned around by now, their gazes shifting between the four Jinchuuriki in front of them, and each other.

"Great." Tenten groaned sarcastically. "What now?"

"Didn't think that far." Sakura countered, a plan slowly forming in her head as she opened the connection between her and her team-mates. _Too bad Nagato didn't 'gift' the other Jinchuuriki, too…_

_Then Neji and Hinata would be able to hear us, too._ Sasuke hissed impatiently, turning to glare at Tenten and Lee. "Get inside, go to the basement, lock the doors, focus on anything but the battle going on up here. Only open the door if Suigetsu and the other two are back." He snapped at them.

"Why can't we help?" Tenten snarled immediately, glaring daggers at the Uchiha prodigy.

"We can't guarantee that you won't loose control with this much demonic chakra rushing around." Sakura answered, already focusing on her seal.

"You don't have enough control, yet, to release _any_ chakra in a situation like this without a guarantee that you won't turn on each other… or us." Sasuke snapped, glaring right back at her.

Lee gently grabbed Tenten's arm and pulled her into the house. The three Jinchuuriki glanced at each other nervously.

_Just like old times._ Naruto offered weakly, letting a blast of chakra seep out of his seal as the Kyuubi's cloak started to form. The other two rolled their eyes before copying him.

Once all five tails had formed on the three team-mates, the two males turned away from the two-tailed Hyuugas and rushed towards the forest bordering the Uchiha district. Sakura stayed where she was, focusing on her chakra, with her team-mates gone, the two Jinchuuriki in front of her had clearly decided she was the most threatening opponent and were facing her instead of each other. Sakura's hands snapped together in numerous hand signs before settling on the sign for 'tiger.'

"Fire Style: Butterfly Illusion Jutsu!" She cried, watching as a distant expression crossed both two-tails faces as a entire flock of butterflies appeared around them.

Her two opponents spun around - as if facing off against a giant army - and started backing slowly towards Sakura. She smirked and ran to the tree line to join her team-mates.

_They'll be here soon, my illusion will scare them into the forest, away from the city. How far away is the field? _She asked quickly, glancing over her shoulder to see Neji and Hinata racing behind her - away from the invisible horde of demons following them.

_Not to far away from where you are now._ Sasuke responded, biting back a growl as they grew yet another tail. _What Jinchuuriki are we missing? Four, six and eight?_

_Let's hope its not eight._ Naruto responded, mentally rolling his eyes, as if the answer was obvious. _But, who cares? Even if one of them has eight tails, we'll still have more. We can take them!_

_You know, one of these days your cockiness is going to come back to bite you_

Sakura muttered in annoyance. _But, remember, we can't fight these guys all out, okay? We need them _alive!_ Not dead._

_Whatever_. Naruto responded, barking out a laugh. _We're set up here, so hurry it up, Imouto._

Sakura swore under her breath and jumped into the clearing, Naruto and Sasuke were crouched on both sides. Numerous wooden planks had been erected on the eight compass points of the clearing - north, north-west, west… - with numerous sealing signs carved into them. A few days after they had been cleared to stay in Konoha, Kakashi took his team to Yamato and asked him to make a sealing zone, in case any Jinchuuriki lost control and needed to be sealed.

_You remember what to do?_ She asked, mentally running through the step-by-step instructions Yamato had left them.

_Of course, he hammered it into our heads as hard as he did with you, Sakura. We won't forget._ Sasuke responded, focusing his chakra into the wooden sealing planks closest to him. Naruto copied him without a word.

Sakura raced through the clearing, deactivating her Genjutsu only once the two Hyuugas had entered the ring made of wooden planks. She only stopped once she had passed the tree line at the other end of the clearing. Neji and Hinata slowed at the midpoint of the clearing, their gazes darting around suspiciously. Sasuke and Naruto started performing numerous hand seals - in the exact pattern Yamato had shown them - when they reached the 'tiger' seal again, they bit their thumbs and slammed their hands down onto the seals Yamato had drawn for them. When the blood touched the inky black marks, a light silver glow spread to each of the wooden planks, sending matching silver beams towards the Hyuugas. They both let out cries of pain in unison. The demonic chakra shot back into their seals as they fell to the ground, unconscious.

Naruto stepped into the clearing. "Well." He said loudly. "That was officially our shortest battle _ever_."

"Okay, I don't think it counts as a battle. And are you really disappointed that it didn't take longer to beat up our friends?" Sakura asked in disbelief, her Gobi chakra moving back into her seal as she placed her hands on her hips. Before he could answer, she continued. "Naruto, carry Hinata back. Sasuke, you can probably take Neji, but I'll help if you need it."

He shook his head. "No, I'll take him. You used a lot of chakra for that Genjutsu." He walked towards the middle of the field and slipped an arm under Neji's, pulling him up so that his feet dragged on the ground as he headed back towards the Uchiha district. Naruto quickly hurried after him, with Hinata cradled in his arms. Sakura sighed and ran after her two friends, yelling after them to wait.

They stumbled into the Uchiha manor, barely managing to carry the Hyuugas. Sakura rushed in ahead of her two team-mates, she set up two bed mats in the corner of the room - so that no one would trip over their unconscious forms. When Naruto and Sasuke entered the room, she ran to the basement door and tried to open it.

"Come on, guys. Everything's alright now. Come out." She yelled, slamming her fist against the wood.

"I didn't think that both of them…." Sasuke murmured, gently falling into a seat at the table. Sakura wandered over to sit next to him when Tenten and the others left the basement.

Tenten and Lee hurried over to their team-mates side immediately. Karin stormed over to the other three Jinchuuriki.

"What the hell was that?" She screamed at them, throwing her arms up in the air angrily. "All we knew was there was a huge blast of chakra coming from our house and when we got here, _these_ two told us that you were experimenting with other Jinchuuriki! What were you _thinking_?"

Sakura laughed nervously and leaned away from the angry red-head. "We didn't expect _both_ of them to be Jinchuuriki." She said, as if it would explain everything.

"It was more wishful thinking than anything." Naruto added, glancing over his shoulder at the two Hyuugas.

"It's better that we know where the Jinchuuriki are than have the Akatsuki get them, don't you agree, Karin?" Sasuke asked, his eyes narrowing dramatically.

She faltered and grumbled something under her breath before falling into the seat across from them. Sakura shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she glanced around the room.

"So, any clue of what tails these two have?" She asked in a hushed voice. "They didn't get them all. They only got to two."

"And who says two-tails is a bad thing?" Tenten cried indignantly from the corner as she spun around to glare at the pink-haired kunoichi.

"No one, Tenten. I'm just saying that they are either have four, six or eight tails. Two is less than all of them - and I'm not saying two-tails is bad because its lower!" Sakura snapped back before she could say anything. "Tails don't rate the Jinchuuriki's power level, okay?"

Sakura leaned forward and held onto her head. _Why is this happening to us? What did we do to deserve this, Houkou-sama?_

'_The sins of the parents reflect onto their children…' Have you ever heard that, Sakura?_ Gobi asked quietly, her voice holding a maternal note.

_Yeah…_

_Your families craved power and gave up their children to gain it. Babies are the only ones who are able to be sealed with demons. The main goal of the Jinchuuriki's is to learn to live with it._

Sakura sighed and turned her gaze to the ceiling. _Do you think Gaara was right? I mean, I know he's right. It would be stupid of Tsunade to let us stay in the village, it would risk every single citizen of Konoha. But… I just can't imagine her kicking us out…_

_She can't do anything if there is a consensus vote, Child. I apologize, but she will be forced to force you all to leave the village and you will be sent out on you own. All you can do is find Hachibi before that happens._

_Which means that these two are the Yonbi and Rokubi, right?_ Gobi said nothing in response, but that was answer enough.

Sakura looked up at the people around her. "So, all we have to find Hachibi now, right?"

They stared at her in disbelief, as a nervous expression fell across her face.

"How do you do that, Sakura?" Sasuke asked, turning around to lean against the table.

"Do what?" She asked nervously.

"You have… a Jinchuuriki sensor or something, I swear…"

Sakura grinned at him and giggled cheerfully.


	10. One Jinchuuriki's Treasure

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the charecters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. lmao.

* * *

'_Meditation is the tongue of the soul and the language of our spirit.'_

_-Jeremy Taylor_

* * *

Sasuke glared into his cup angrily, rolling the tea around to create small swirls with the liquid. Sakura frowned at him across the table, turning her gaze to her own cup in annoyance.

"I really wish you'd stop doing that, Sasuke…" She murmured weakly, her eyes flickering to the corner - where the two Hyuugas were still unconscious. They had considered moving them into spare rooms - the Uchiha district had enough of them - but there was too much risk that they could transform without anyone around to watch them.

"Why did we get stuck watching them anyway?" He asked, following her gaze.

"They might have been hurt in that battle and I'm the only medic here." Sakura responded, waving her hand airily. "And if they transform I'll need someone to help me get them back to that clearing."

He made a 'hn' sound in the back of his throat before closing his eyes and leaning backwards. With a frown he glanced over at her. "What did you mean before? You said that the Jinchuuriki tails don't represent power. I thought Naruto had the most powerful chakra and was the strongest." He said, looking away - clearing embarrassed that he had to ask about something he didn't understand.

"He is… Well, his demon is. If Naruto figures out how to control it properly he could probably destroy the entire Fire country, if he wanted to." Sakura said thoughtfully, moving away from the table so she could lean against the walls. "But that doesn't necessarily mean Kyuubi's the strongest because he has the most tails. It just works out that way, I guess."

"So, Hachibi isn't the second strongest?" He asked, tilting his head to look at her.

"Nope, Shichibi is. Hachibi is third." Sakura said cheerfully, glad that she didn't have to tell him that his demon was a weakling.

He frowned but didn't say anything about his demons strength. "What order are they in?"

"Uh… Strength-wise. Kyuubi, Shichibi, Hachibi, Gobi, Nibi, Rokubi, Sanbi, Ichibi, then Yonbi…" She said, her eyes going slightly distant as she tried to remember the correct order. "Then Chakra-wise. It'd be Kyuubi, Hachibi, Shichibi… actually I think their chakra level is how they decide how many tails the demon has. It goes in order."

He used his elbows to prop himself up. "How do you know all this, Sakura?"

She stiffened immediately and closed her eyes, ignoring his question. He winced when he realized the only answer - the only people who would know this much about the demons: Akatsuki. He mentally swore and averted his gaze.

_Is that why she broke up with me? Because of the Akatsuki?_ He mentally asked, aware that his demon was listening.

_**Maybe she dumped you because of the reasons she gave, because she doesn't want anything holding her back.**_ Shichibi suggested reasonably, rolling his eyes. _**If I recall, that's why you said no to her when you were younger, wasn't it?**_

"Tch." Sasuke muttered, slamming his eyes closed angrily. _Stay out of my head, demon!_

"Sasuke?"

He jumped, his head snapping forward. Sakura had pushed herself away from the wall to watch him with concern.

"Are you feeling alright? You went really pale all of a sudden and didn't answer to me." Sakura told him softly, slowly moving closer to him. "Do you want to lie down? I can watch these two by myself."

He shook his head and closed his eyes again. "I was just thinking…" He told her quietly.

"Can I ask what you thinking about…?" She asked, tilting her head to the side curiously and falling back into a crouch.

He ignored her question and rolled onto his side. Sakura sighed and walked over to the two Hyuugas. He opened his eyes to watch her carefully. She leaned over Neji, so that her ear was in front of his mouth - listening to his breathing - and watching his chest rise and fall. She did the same with Hinata seconds later. She straightened up and pressed her index and middle finger to the younger Hyuugas neck first, closing her eyes to count. Then leaned over to press her fingers to Neji's neck. She pulled her hand away.

Sasuke snapped up into a offensive crouch when Neji's hand darted out to grab her wrist. The Hyuuga's slowly opened. "Sakura." He greeted softly, letting her pull her hand away from his. He glanced around suspiciously - his eyes falling on the katana Sasuke had pulled out. "What am I doing here?"

Sakura glanced over her shoulder at Sasuke. "I'll let you field this one." She said grinning at him before standing up and flopping into the seat next to Sasuke.

The Uchiha prodigy slowly put his katana away - when he was sure Neji's demon chakra wouldn't slip out - and sat back down.

"We had to bring you somewhere we could watch you." Sasuke explained slowly, shaking his head. "We decided to… play a our guess. It turned out we were right." He gestured at Sakura to continue.

"Yeah, we sent some of our demonic chakra towards you and Hinata. Apparently, Jinchuuriki's demonic chakra activates when it sense another's chakra around, you understand?" Sakura asked, rubbing her chin thoughtfully for a better was to explain.

"You and Hinata reacted to our chakra and lost control." Sasuke finished for her, glancing down at his tea cup. "We lured you to a seal that Yamato set up for us and activated it. We put a weak seal over the ones you already had, so you shouldn't loose control if you feel another's chakra."

"But, we can't make any guarantees!" Sakura added quickly, knowing that he might want to spar with other Jinchuuriki now. "So, you might want to stay away from Demonic fights for a while."

Neji frowned. "So, you're sure that I'm a…demon? He asked in a hushed monotone voice.

Sasuke and Sakura both winced in unison. "We prefer the term Jinchuuriki, actually, Neji." Sakura told him, shaking her head softly.

Sasuke stood up and grabbed his tea cup. "You're free to stay here, if you like. This is apparently a housing for unwanted Jinchuuriki. Although, I can guarantee your family already knows and will want to keep you around for this fact alone. If you have any questions we'll answer them, but for now I'd like you to show me what you were showing Lee yesterday, Sakura." He told him, grabbing her tea cup as well as he headed for the kitchen.

Neji frowned. "We are aloud to stay here?" He directed the question at Sakura - seeing as Sasuke was already in the other room.

She smiled warmly over at him. "Yeah, being a Jinchuuriki's hard enough, we figure. So, since the rest of the world just wants us for our powers, we should help each other out, ne?"

With that, she hurried out of the room and after Sasuke.

* * *

Suigetsu, Jugo and Karin were the first to return, they exchanged glances as a delicious smell reached their noses. Suigetsu rushed past them and towards the kitchen, sniffing every few feet to make sure he was headed in the right direction. Karin and Jugo were right behind him, barely sparing a glance to the folded bed mats.

Inside the kitchen, four Jinchuuriki were quietly working on that nights dinner. Sasuke was standing next to Sakura, using his kunai to chop a pile of vegetables, while Sakura used her own to peel them. Neji was standing next to a pot and stirring it in annoyance, glaring down at the contents. Hinata was watching a large amount of meat cook slowly, with her head tilted to the side and a distant expression on her face.

"What's going on?" Karin asked warily - not used to Sasuke cooperating in such 'menial chores.'

"Who cares?!" Suigetsu countered, racing across the room to stand next to Sakura. He reached forward to grab a piece of celery. She slapped his hand with the slid of her kunai. "What are you guys making?"

"Roast Pork." Hinata responded, glancing over her shoulder to answer him. "And vegetable soup. Neji, move that pot closer to the heat."

Karin frowned and walked towards Sakura and Sasuke. "Anything I can do?"

As a response, Sakura gestured at a handful of knives hanging from the wall and the pile of vegetables between Sasuke and herself. Karin complied and took a knife off the wall to help peel vegetables. Jugo and Suigetsu joined them, but - after only a few moments - Sakura told Suigetsu to take a cookie into the other room and leave them alone, so he'd stop trying to eat the food they were cooking.

Karin leaned closer to Sakura warily. "Have you told them, yet?" She asked, her eyes flickering between the two Hyuugas before moving back to her work. Sakura nodded. "How are they so calm, then? You'd think they'd be more…angry, or something…"

Sakura shrugged uncertainly. "It looks like Neji is." She said under her breath. "He's just really quiet about it. He'll stay here until he decides what his options are and what choice will lead to the best outcome. But, Hinata…"

Her voice trailed off as they both glanced at the other girl. She was positively glowing as she watched the meat cook, if she was any happier, she'd be singing out loud - though she was probably mentally singing.

Sasuke leaned towards the conversation. "I'm pretty sure that's she happy she has a Jinchuuriki because it makes her different. It gives her a reason to hold back when fighting so that she won't be seen as weak, just kind. She's tired of people looking down on her, now she has a power that will help her fit in." He told them in a hushed tone, scooping up the vegetables he chopped and dropping them into Neji's pot before walking back to them.

"You mean that she's happy to fit in with the outcasts?" Karin asked in disbelief, rolling her eyes. "That's crazy."

"I don't think so, Karin. We can't know how people will react when thrown into a strange situation." Sakura murmured, handing a potato to Sasuke. "What's that saying? One man's trash is another's treasure? It's a weird saying but it fits our situation, I guess. Most of us hate this power, and would do anything to get rid of it. I - personally - don't mind it as much as others, but Hinata seems to think it's the best thing that could have happened to her."

They all fell back into the silence they had been in before. Suigetsu was yelling some insults about slow cookers in the main room, but they all ignored him without a word. Sakura peeled the last carrot, handing it to Sasuke, before wandering away from the small group.

"What were you three doing anyway?" She asked as she left the room - so that all three of them could hear her.

"Shopping, talking, breathing… living in general." Suigetsu muttered from beside the table. Sakura threw him a dirty look.

"Well, I'm going to be by the pond. Call me when dinner's ready." She said before walking outside and heading for the pond.

She fell into her normal seat and crossed her fingers into the 'tiger' seal, placing them in her lap. She closed her eyes and let all thoughts drift away from her mind. She sent a small wave of her chakra away from the Uchiha District and towards Konoha. She swerved down countless streets, around those she knew to be ninja - she didn't want anyone to sense her sneaking around the village like this - and finally ended up at the Ichiraku Ramen bar. Like she expected, the missing Jinchuuriki were talking about random topics in front of their ramen bowls.

_Well, I might as well try this now… _She thought to herself.

Sakura controlled her chakra and moved it towards Naruto. He jerked when he chakra touched him.

_Shame on you, snacking before dinner._

Naruto bolted out of his seat and looked around in confusion. _Sakura…?_ He asked in surprise.

_Wow, you can hear me?_ She asked in disbelief, a grin flitting onto her face. _Okay, good news, bad news… And then more good news, and then more bad news.. Which do you want to hear first?_

_Uh… the first bad news, I guess…_ Naruto mentally muttered, a shocked expression still covering his face. Tenten and Lee were watching him in confusion. _Then the other bad news, they the good news._

_Okay, bad news. Neji and Hinata woke up. Next. Neji's _really_ PO'd about it, might cause trouble later. Good news: Hinata doesn't really seem to care about being a Jinchuuriki and I figured out how to trigger our mental communications._ Sakura told him cheerfully, a sudden pain shooting down her spine. _Damn, it's a lot harder to talk without having the tails of power around. Come home now, we made food. Ciao for now, ni-san!_

Naruto blinked a few times in confusion as Sakura's voice faded from his mind. He glanced over at the other two Jinchuuriki. "I think we have to go home now.


	11. Hachibi Revealed

**Disclaimer**

_K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the charecters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. lmao.

* * *

_When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us._

_-Helen Keller_

* * *

Sakura yawned as she woke up, stretching her arms above her head. She could hear some of the other Jinchuuriki talking in the living room - Neji and his team, for the sounds of it - but she didn't make any move to get up right away. If he wanted to decided what to do with his team alone, that was fine by her. Whatever he choose, he'd pull Hinata alone with him. And if they decided to go back to the Hyuuga District then they'd never speak to any of the other Jinchuuriki again. The two Hyuugas were the only ones who would be able to tell them if the Hachibi was in Konoha or not. They were the only ones who could literally _see_ if there was a seal on a person. So, Sakura decided to stay in her bed to let Neji decide on his own, and not to try and force his decision.

She laid there for around half an hour before the quiet discussion stopped and the front door opened quietly before closing. Neji was leaving, but Hinata was still inside her room.

Sakura took that as her cue to 'wake up.' She stepped outside her room to find that she wasn't the only one who had decided to wait for Team Guy to finish their discussion. Hinata was peering out of her door nervously, looking up and down the hallway. Naruto was halfway to the living room already and Sasuke was just closing his door. Sakura glanced over at him and sent him a soft smile before walking down the hallway.

They sat around the table, no one said anything, no one even made any reference that anything else had a normal conversation had taken place. Sakura sighed nervously, the rooms tension finally getting to her as she started to shift uneasily in her seat.

"So, uh, where did Neji go?" She asked, deciding that 'stupid' was always a good plan. No one could get mad at someone who was stupid, or someone who was only playing stupid.

Tenten glanced up at her. "He went back to the Hyuuga District." She said vaguely, taking out a kunai to sharpen it.

Everyone in the room froze, so Lee quickly added. "To pack, while Hizashi is away on a mission." He frowned and sighed. "See, he thinks that it'll be easier for him and Hinata to stay here, where we can all help if anything goes wrong. But, he also knows that you guys are right that Hizashi probably knows that he and Hinata are Jinchuuriki. He doesn't want anyone to know that he knows that they know…Does that make sense?"

Sasuke frowned and leaned forward. "Yeah… More than you know…" He muttered, looking out the window.

They fell into a relaxed silence, not like the tense one they had just broken out of. No one said anything until Karin, Suigetsu and Jugo came in, as well.

"So, when Neji gets back, would you two be willing to use your Byakugan to look for the Hachibi?" Naruto asked, looking up at Hinata with such a sudden intensity that her face flushed and the others were worried that she was going to faint.

She nodded quickly, but didn't say anything in favour of trying to control her blush. She was saved as the front door opened. Everyone turned as Neji walked in with two large bags hanging over his shoulders. He dropped them in the corner before looking at everyone.

"Well? I assume you'll need our Byakugan to look for the last Jinchuuriki." He told them, his pale eyes narrowing in annoyance. "Why aren't you ready?"

They all snapped into action. Sasuke and Sakura quickly hurried to the door to led the two Hyuugas to the Hokage Head Mountain. Naruto, Tenten and Lee jumped up to grab the two bags so they could unpack for Neji and Hinata while they were working. Karin, Jugo and Suigetsu - with nothing else to do - ran into the kitchen to make lunch.

Sasuke and Sakura sat down under a tree as Neji and Hinata stood on the edge of the Godaime's head, scanning the village with their Byakugan. Every few minutes they'd glance at each other or Sasuke or Sakura, to remember what the demonic chakra looked like. Sakura closed her eyes and leaned against the tree behind her. Sasuke cleared his throat - almost nervously.

"Sakura, I was wondering… Was there any specific reason… that we broke up?" He asked her in a quiet voice - so he wouldn't distract the two Hyuugas, it didn't work. They both stiffened, aware that they were intruding on a very private moment. Neither said anything.

"Sasuke, I explained to you why we had to break up." Sakura responded nervously, her eyes flickering between the raven-haired Shinobi and the two Hyuugas. "We're Jinchuuriki, constantly at risk because of the Akatsuki. We can't risk having outside distractions with our lives on the line like that, Sasuke. I don't want them to be able to use you against me. Because they _will_ if we continue dating. I don't want _any_ of you at risk, but I can't help everyone."

He jaw tightened. "So, you broke up with me, to protect me?" She nodded weakly without saying anything. "Who said that I _need_ protecting?"

"Sasuke, listen. The Akatsuki see me as a personal insult to them, I was a member but I left. No one has left the Akatsuki and _lived_ since Orochimaru and he's dead now. The only reason I'm still alive is because they only have a use for me alive. They can't seal anything about five-tails without me first being sealed. If things get bad enough that they have sealed Gaara, Tenten, Lee _and_ Hinata, then I will kill myself before letting them seal anything else. Not that I'm planning to _let_ them seal Gaara, Tenten, Lee or Hinata, of course."

"Sakura, listen to_ yourself_. Like you said, the Akatsuki will need to seal those _four_ before even _thinking_ about sealing you. Us Jinchuuriki will stick together so _none_ of us will get hurt, alright?" He snapped, turning away from her to end the argument. "I just don't understand your reasoning. If two people still like each other…"

"Sasuke, it's not about that!" Sakura cried, pulling her legs to her chest and resting her elbows on her knees so she could grab fistfuls of her hair. "It literally _kills_ me to think that something upsets you, that something makes you mad… And it killed me to have to break up with you. But, it kills me more to know that Itachi was able to predict my movements so easily by using you. I don't want them to be able to use you to control me… or vice versa… I'm _so_ sorry, Sasuke. I love you, but we can't be more than friends… I'm sorry."

Neji cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I don't want to interrupt, we can leave if you want us to. But, we're pretty sure we found the Hachibi, if you want to go collect him."

Sakura laughed nervously. "We prefer not to think of it as 'collecting,' Neji. We think of it as letting them know what all their options are before giving them the choice to come with us or stay where they are." She explained, shrugging airily.

His eyes narrowed in annoyance but he said nothing and headed for the path off the mountain. Sasuke and Sakura exchanged a nervous glance before hurrying after him, Hinata trailing behind them. They followed Neji down numerous streets without saying a word to him, just trusting him. Sasuke and Sakura glanced at Hinata questioningly, trying to get a clue as to who the Hachibi could possibly be. She just shook her head and shrugged. Neji must have been the one who discovered him.

Neji finally stopped next to a house's front door and gestured for them to continue. Sasuke frowned but rapped his knuckles against the door. Within moments a brown-haired woman opened the door with a murmured greeting. She seemed flustered about something.

"Can I help you?" She asked, not even bothering to put a fake smile on her face.

"Uh, hello, Mrs. Nara." Sasuke greeted lightly, realization filtering across his as he glanced over at Neji. The Hyuuga nodded. "Is Shikamaru home, Ma'am?"

She sighed in exhaustion. "Yeah, he's upstairs sleeping. I've been calling him for hours so maybe you can wake him up for me."

They exchanged glances before hurrying up the stairs. Sakura glanced up at the photos lining the walls. Most were the usual 'family moments' - Shikamaru and his dad half-asleep and his mother yelling at them - but there were a few photos of scenery. The last was of Asuma's team, on the first day that they became a team. Shikamaru was looking off screen - probably at the clouds - and wasn't paying any attention to the camera at all. Chouji was eating out of a bag of chips with a huge grin on his face, Ino was glaring at both of them and had probably just finished her lecture about 'proper picture etiquette.'

She frowned, hating herself for having to break up this team, as well as ruin Shikamaru's life - potentially forever. Sakura bit her lip and looked up at the backs of the other three Jinchuuriki.

Sasuke gently opened the door to look into Shikamaru's room, he frowned and stepped inside. The other three Jinchuuriki followed him into the empty room.


	12. Opposites Attract

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the charecters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. lmao.

* * *

_The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge._

_-Daniel J. Boorstin_

* * *

"I thought you said you were taking us to the Hachibi…" Sakura informed Neji in a confused tone, she moved closer to her three companions subconsciously. "Was it actually Shikamaru or were you lying to us?"

Neji frowned and shook his head. "No, I saw Shikamaru in his room with the Jinchuuriki seal and everything…." His voice trailed off as he activated his Byakugan again to look around the village for the missing Hachibi.

Sasuke's eyes shifted around the room. Shikamaru's shuriken pouch and kunai holster were still beside his bed, so he wasn't on a mission or training. His wallet was still laying on his bedside table, so he wasn't out with his team or at a restaurant. And Shikamaru wasn't the kind of person to just sneak off to walk around town without a reason. Sasuke frowned and looked at the open window. He gestured for Sakura to follow him as he headed towards the window and stepped onto the frame, using the drain pipe to hold himself up.

Shikamaru was laying - completely unconscious - on the roof above his room. His hair was out of its normal ponytail and he wasn't even wearing his Chunin outfit. Sasuke sighed as Sakura pulled herself out of the window - barely able to look above the roof line at the sleeping Jinchuuriki. Sasuke chuckled and wrapped his arm around her waist, so that when he jumped up she would come with him. Sakura let out a cry of surprise and grabbed onto his arm, surprisingly not waking the man asleep in front of them.

"What do we do?" Sakura asked, her face flushing when she realized how close they were.

Sasuke frowned and leaned forward, poking Shikamaru with his foot. Sakura giggled lightly and sat down on the roof. Shikamaru jerked in his sleep and rolled onto his side.

"Mrrf…" He grumbled in annoyance, swiping his hand in the direction of Sasuke's foot.

Sasuke frowned and jabbed him again. This time, Shikamaru bolted upwards and looked around in a daze, still half-asleep.

"Wha's goin' on?" He asked, looking between Sasuke and Sakura in confusion.

Sakura smiled sheepishly at him, aware that Neji and Hinata were currently sprinting back to the Uchiha District - not wanting to be part of this situation. "Uh… We have something important to tell you, Shikamaru. I'd tell you to sit down, but you already are…"

He frowned but didn't say anything as Sasuke continued. "As I'm sure you're aware, we've been looking all over Konoha because - potentially - most of the Jinchuuriki could be here. We've found seven so far and have reason to believe the eighth is here." He told Shikamaru, crouching down so he was at their level.

"And that's me." Shikamaru concluded, confusion flickering across his face. "Why are you telling me something I already know?"

The gaped at him. "You _knew _this already?" Sakura asked in disbelief, staring at him in shock.

He nodded. "I've known since your battle with those two Akatsuki. I had a few questions, so my father was the likely choice. He told me that when I was born, one of the demons - the Hachibi - attacked our deer fields and we needed to seal it. The Fourth Hokage was away that day, but one of his advisors was able to give us the instructions for the sealing jutsu. So, now I have a demon in me." He shrugged absentmindedly before adding. "Is there anything else?"

Sasuke and Sakura exchanged glances. "Well, seeing as you already know, I guess we're just here to let you know that you're aloud to stay at the Uchiha District if you wish. Everyone but the Ichibi is, and we'll be able to teach you how to control your powers." Sasuke told him, standing up and offering Sakura his hand to help her up.

"Shikamaru, you're a smart guy. I assume you've already realized that it's suicidal of Konoha to let this many Jinchuuriki stay in their village with the Akatsuki being such a big threat." Sakura told him, letting Sasuke pull her to her feet. "It's only a matter of time before the higher-ups figure that out, too. You're a good strategist, we'd really appreciate your help if it has to come to that."

He nodded softly and stood up, as well. "So, I'll pack only necessities, then, and come as soon as I explain things to my parents." He told them, turning to his gaze to the clouds airily. "Man, this is such a drag…"

Sasuke and Sakura slowly walked back to the Uchiha District. Sakura was watching a flock of birds fly above them with a distant expression that told Sasuke she wasn't actually _seeing_ them. He frowned as he watched her and cleared his throat.

"Sakura, when do you think Tsunade will give the order to kick us out of Konoha?" He asked her lightly, his frown deepening when she looked back at him in confusion. "Do you have a rough guess?"

Sakura shrugged. "I guess she'll delay it as long as possible. The Elders and Danzou will be the ones who want to get rid of us, or else take our powers. Now she won't let them take our demons, but even she won't be able to hold off the Akatsuki if they show up looking for us, right?"

He nodded. "I guess so, but she won't be able to delay much longer, will she?"

"No, especially now that all eight Jinchuuriki have been found." Sakura paused uncertainly. "Actually, we should probably let her know we found everyone. No one told her about Neji, Hinata, and now we have Shikamaru, too… Man, I _never_ actually thought all the Jinchuuriki would be the easy to find. I imagined at least _one_ would be in another village. We got off easy."

Sasuke smirked but remained silent as they continued along the street. After a few minutes he cleared his throat again. "How about you and I go out for some ramen? Nothing much, but if you don't mind I'd like to have some quiet time tonight and I don't think it'll be very quiet back home." He offered, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

She grinned. "Ramen, Sasuke? Really? That's like cheating on Naruto in his house of worship." She shrugged anyway. "Sure, Ichiraku's?"

He nodded and they turned in the direction of Konoha's finest Ramen bar. They choice the two seats at the far right, so that there was less chance of being over-heard if they decided to talk about more 'sensitive' topics - like the Jinchuuriki or Akatsuki. Sasuke placed both their orders and leaned crossed his fingers in his signature thinking pose. Sakura glanced over at him and frowned.

"You're thinking about Itachi, aren't you…" She asked dully, more of a statement than a question as she watched him. "You always do that when you think about him…"

"Hn…" He muttered under his breath, barely audible to her ears.

She glanced up when Ayame placed their bowls on the table. Sakura sighed and pulled out two pair of chopsticks, handing one to Sasuke.

"I'll shut up if you want me to, you said you wanted some quiet and I'll give it to you, but I just want to make sure that you're not going to ditch us to look for Itachi." Sakura murmured into her bowl, watching the steam rise off the hot noodles. "There's more of a chance that you'll fight - and beat - Itachi with us around, and I know that you know that. But, you've left to fight him once before."

He stiffened beside her. "I didn't leave because of Itachi, Sakura. I left to get stronger." He corrected her quietly, grabbing a piece of pork with his chop sticks.

"Yeah, to get stronger so you could fight Itachi." Sakura said, using the same hushed voice he was using. "What else is there?"

"I told you, I didn't leave because of Itachi. I left so I could get stronger to get you back from them." Sasuke told her, looking up when she froze. "After a year or so, I heard a rumour that you had been seen and I automatically assumed that Naruto and them had gotten you back from the Akatsuki. So, I turned my thoughts to killing Itachi."

Sakura looked over at him. "Sasuke… are you serious?" She asked in disbelief, letting the few ramen noodles she was holding up slip through her chopsticks.

He nodded slightly, his face flushing - whether from the steam or the situation was anyone's guess. "Yeah…" He murmured, not seeing any reason to lie to her now.

She looked back down at her ramen. They both fell into a companionable silence, eating without saying a word. Sasuke quietly ordered a bowl to-go before they finished, 'so that Naruto won't be _as_ annoying when we get back' he told her in a hushed voice. She giggled lightly when Ayame handed them the cup of steaming ramen.

Sasuke and Sakura paid before leaving the shop. The sun was just setting and the sky had turned to a mixture of colors. From light pink to deep purple them to bright yellow. Sakura stared up at the sky in amazement, slowly her pace slightly so she could watch the sunset fully. Sasuke wasn't complaining as they headed back to the Uchiha District.

She shivered slightly as they passed the Hokage building, as she watched the sky fade to a dark, ocean blue. Without a word or second thought, Sasuke pulled his Uchiha-emblazed jacket off and wrapped it around her shoulders, snaking his arm around her waits to hold it in place. Sakura jumped and looked up at him.

"But, Sasuke, you'll be-"

"Just walk faster, and I won't get cold." He told her gently, stepped closer to her to place his free hand on her shoulder.

Sakura leaned back against his chest, reaching across her stomach to hold onto his hand. He smiled softly to himself and placed his chin on top of her head, taking a deep breath through his nose. They walked back to the Uchiha District, holding onto each other without saying a word, just happy to be in each others company.

As they approached the wooden gate with the Uchiha symbol drawn on the front, an ANBU appeared in front of them from seemingly nowhere. He was on one knee with his head bowed forward.

"Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura, I presume?" He asked, looking up at them through his mask. They nodded in confusion. "The Godaime is requesting your presence in her office. She has asked me to escort you. Is it safe for me to assume that you two are the representatives of the Jinchuuriki?" They nodded again - it was either them or Naruto, and the Jinchuuriki would have _something _to say about Naruto being their leader. "Excellent, now, if you will follow me…"


	13. Jinchuuriki's Expelled

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the characters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. lmao.

* * *

_Do not confuse motion and progress. _

_A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress_

_-Alfred A. Montapert_

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura stared at the ANBU in disbelief, fear coursing through their veins. Sasuke slowly let his arms slip away from Sakura as he leaned forward so that his mouth was next to her ear.

"Go home, tell the others to start packing immediately. I'll try to get this over with as fast as possible, but if I'm not back by the time you're done, please start packing for me." He whispered to her, his eyes flickering momentarily to the ANBU Black Ops. "I'll just need a change of cloths, my shuriken pouch and my kunai holster. The Uchiha clan has a extra weapons storage that I'll empty when I get back. Try to keep them as calm as possible, but you'll need to hurry. Tell Karin, Suigetsu and Jugo to help anyone who needs it, even if they don't like them. I'll be back as soon as I'm done with them." He stepped towards the ANBU. "Sakura won't be coming, it'll be just me. Let's go."

Sasuke and the ANBU both vanished in a swirl of leaves, but Sakura didn't stay to watch them go, she was already half-way through the front gate and was heading towards their house. She burst through the front door, her eyes snapping to the table-full of people.

"It's starting, everyone pack as fast as possible." She told them quickly, spinning on her heel to hurry to her room. If she knew the village heads - and she did - they'd keep Sasuke there as long as possible to 'explain their reasoning' so they wouldn't seem like the bad guys. It was also a strategy to give the Jinchuuriki less warning to leave - they assumed that anyone who heard the ANBU would want to come - so they wouldn't be as prepared.

Naruto and the others rushed after her, stopping in her doorway. "Imouto, what's starting? Why do we have to pack?!" He cried, watching as she quickly shoved a spare change of cloths, a cloak and her weapons holsters into a small backpack.

"The Elders have started to move, they want us out of the village _now_. An ANBU stopped Sasuke and I as we were heading home. He told them that Tsunade requested our presence in her office. He told me to come here and get you all to start packing, as fast as possible." She told them quickly, zipping up her bag and hurrying from the room as the Jinchuuriki rushed to their own rooms - without question. "Karin, Jugo, Suigetsu, help anyone who needs packing. _Don't _let them take anything that will slow us down. I'm counting on you three."

Sakura ducked into Sasuke's room and started rifling through his things to try and find his shuriken and kunai holsters. She finally found them and started scrambling for a backpack to use. She grabbed a dark blue one out of his closest and shoved the weapon cases inside - along with a Demon Wind Shuriken she found lying on the floor - ignoring Karin's angry yells at one of the Jinchuuriki to take 'only the necessities.' Sakura quickly grabbed a pair of boxers from his drawer, a spare pair of pants and a T-shirt before shoving a neatly folded cloak in after them. She ran out of his room and tossed her backpack and his beside the door before heading back into the hallway.

Karin was standing outside Naruto's room and having an argument about his instant ramen. Suigetsu was in Lee's room, looking through his backpack to make sure he only had things he _needed_. Jugo was looking between Neji and Shikamaru's, making sure they didn't take something extra - which neither of them would. Sakura hurried past them and glanced into Tenten's room, her only problem would be the extra weapons she might take, but she was able to put them in her large scroll now so Sakura wasn't worried. Sakura ducked into Hinata's room and sent the Hyuuga heir a questioning look.

"Would a few extra kunai be bad, Sakura?" Hinata asked quietly, looking between the knives in her hand and the pink-haired kunoichi. "I've never been on a mission that's lasted more than a week before, I don't know what would be too much."

Sakura shook her head. "Just a spare change of cloths. Weapons are fine as long as they don't slow you down. You might need a cloak, though I'm sure we'll be able to get one someplace else. Who knows where we'll be in a few weeks?" She asked, shrugging at a sad attempt to be casual. She paused, sending a wave of chakra around the Uchiha District to see if Sasuke was back yet. "But, don't worry too much about the weapons, Sasuke says there's a secret storage of them around here somewhere. I figure it must be good if it belonged to the Uchiha Clan. If you need any help, call me or one of the others, I'm going to wait for Sasuke outside."

Hinata nodded before shoving the two kunai into the front pocket of her bag. Sakura quickly hurried outside, using a small amount of chakra to go faster when Karin told her Sasuke was coming in an undertone.

By the time he arrived at the Uchiha District, Sakura was already half-way out of the house. He gestured for her to follow him and grabbed a bag from the front entrance. They raced down the streets, stopping when they reached the old Uchiha Branch of the ANBU Black Ops. He led her down hallway after hallway, turning so many times she was sure they must be lost. Until they entered a fairly large room. The doors and walls we old-style Japanese, with tatami mats covering the floor. A low table was near the head of the room, with a sitting-pillow between it and the wall. Numerous other pillows were spread out around the room.

"A meeting hall?" Sakura asked quietly, looking at her companion as he knelt next to the wall.

"Yeah." Sasuke answered in a strained voice. "This was where my clan was planning to overthrow the Hokage." Sasuke lifted one of the mats off the ground to reveal an underground tunnel. He effortlessly jumped down and held up his hand to help her down. "You're packed?"

"Yeah, and I packed your stuff, as well. But you should check it after to make sure I got everything." She told him, following him down the dank path at a slower pace than they had been using earlier.

"Did you get my kunai and shuriken?" He called over his shoulder, shrugging.

"Yes, and a change of cloths, a cloak and your Demon Wind Shuriken." She told him airily, a small amount of fear creeping into her voice. "What did they say, Sasuke? You've been trying to distract me this entire time, what's going on?"

He ignored her question and stopped next to a wooden door. "You basically know the specialties of most the Jinchuuriki. It'll be up to you to choose weapons for the ones that I can't. Don't limit yourself. I know the jutsu for sealing, so we can seal them in a bandage of a scroll if we need to." He opened the door and held it open for her, lighting a torch hanging from the wall.

Sakura frowned but stepped into the room, gaping at the massive amount of weapons in the room. This room was even bigger than the one they had come from. There were wooden boards lining the walls, with four rows of shelves in the middle of the room. Each piece of wood was brimming with weapons. Sasuke immediately went for the swords and pulled a katana off the wall, weighing it and the one he was already holding.

Sakura clapped her hands together in numerous hand seals before muttering the name of the jutsu under her breath and closing both hands on the bag in front of her. She felt the weight lift from the bag and was suddenly aware of the amount of space inside. "Space Expansion Jutsu." Sasuke glanced over his shoulder at her but didn't say anything.

She grabbed different styles of swords and numerous kunai and shuriken. A bow and its quiver full of arrows also went into the bag. With a moments thought, she grabbed metal plates with leather straps - meant to tie around arms or legs - and pile of shields.

They continued shoving seemingly random weapons and armour into the bag - which never gained a pound - for a few more moments before exchanging glances and hurrying from the room, using their chakra to move as fast as possible. The swerved down the winding hallways, following their chakra imprint from only a few minutes earlier, and exited the building.

The other six Jinchuuriki were standing outside with the last three Taka members. Each had a backpack over their shoulders - with Suigetsu holding Sasuke's and Sakura's - watching them expectantly. Sasuke stepped up to Jugo and looked him in the eye.

"Until I return to this village as a free man, _you_ are the owner of this district. No one is aloud to entire because it is _your_ property. I am giving you permission to use this land as you please, but I expect you to watch it for me until I return. And when I do I want in the exact same place I left it. Do you understand me?" Sasuke demanded, watching as Jugo slowly nodded his head.

"Sasuke, we're kind of getting kicked out of Konoha, now's not really the time to worry about your precious Uchiha District." Naruto pointed out reasonably, gently taking the weapons bag from Sakura so she could slip into her own backpack.

"You dobe, this is so the ANBU Black Ops can't use whatever they find in these buildings against us. This was the Uchiha Clan's home, there are weapons in almost every room and incriminating documents in most. They could say that they were ours so we never come back into this village alive. I passed the rights to Jugo, they _physically_ can't pass into this District unless we're here ourselves." Sasuke said quickly, grabbing his back from Suigetsu with a quiet thanks. "Suigetsu, don't attack any of Konoha's citizens, listen to them and do what they say unless it incriminates us. Karin, keep these two in line and don't over do it."

The three of them nodded in unison, there was no time for emotional goodbyes for the team. Suigetsu grinned at Sakura weakly as Sasuke left more instructions for the other two. "You better come back, Pinky." He told her, winking to show he was joking. "If you don't Tag Team S will be missing a member and we can't have that."

"Ah, Suigetsu! This is an emotional moment, why'd you have to go and say something like that? Totally ruins the effect, dude." Sakura said, pressing the heel of her hand to her forehead in fake exasperation. He laughed and clapped her on the shoulder.

The eight Jinchuuriki exchanged glances, without another word they vanished in a swirl of leaves and flowers.


	14. Will of Fire

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the characters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. lmao.

* * *

_It's being passed on… From the past to the future, the Will of Fire._

_-Godaime of Konoha: Tsunade_

* * *

Sasuke leaned against the tree moodily, glancing around their small, hastily-made campsite. The eight Jinchuuriki had been running for two days before they were _sure_ they were out of the ANBU's range. They didn't have any destination in mind except 'away from Konoha' in Naruto's words. They hadn't spoken a single word since leaving Konoha, but it was a mutual understanding that they would need Gaara. Not at that exact moment, necessarily, but eventually. It would be a risk for any of them to go near the Hidden Villages, but they'd need to if they were going to contact Gaara. None of this they mentioned, of course.

But, as usual, Naruto was the first one to break the silence they were in.

"What the hell are we going to do now?" Naruto blurted out suddenly, glaring around the fire to dare anyone to say something that could be considered depressing.

Sakura looked down at her nails. "Well, we could always head towards the last known Akatsuki manor and hand ourselves in." She paused as everyone else shot her dangerous looks. "But, I don't really think that's an option at this point, is it?"

Sasuke sighed. "Well, we're going to have to do something about our pursuers. Tsunade told me what the Elders would probably decide, and gave us time to leave. Danzou will send every Root member after us so he gets our power, so we'll have to do something to hide." He said, more to himself than to the others.

"We can't exactly go into a small town and volunteer as farmers…" Lee murmured, shaking his head slowly. "They'll find us if we stay in one place for to long."

"What do you propose, then?" Neji demanded, glaring at his green-clad team-mate. "The Kazekage may be a Jinchuuriki to, but he'd be stupid to let us stay there. None of the other villages will let us in unless we give them our demons and from what you guys said, that'll kill us."

"We could just keep wandering around until they stop… though we may need to fake our deaths to make _that_ happen." Tenten added cheerfully, sharpening her favourite kunai. Her eyes flickered to the extra bag between Sasuke and Sakura. "What that thing for?"

They both looked down at the bag in confusion. "Weapons." They said in perfect unison, looking back at Tenten in confusion.

"Weapons?" She repeated, disbelief flickering across her face. "There are _weapons_ in there?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yes, we figured that everyone would need their own weapon so we just grabbed a bunch so you guys can choose." He tossed the back to Tenten across the fire. "Although, I'm sure _you_ already have enough for an army. Everyone else is free to choose."

Sakura sighed and crossed her legs, letting her hands fall into her lap. "You guys can keep arguing, but it just makes my head hurt. Wake me up when you decide night shifts." She said letting me mind drift away from the conversation, she was slightly aware of the fact that Sasuke and Lee were also starting to meditate. She sent a small wave of chakra over the surrounding area, checking for any signs of intruders. Before she could even get a few meters, something wrapped around her ankle and jerked her upwards.

With a cry of surprise, Sakura flew into the air, hanging upside down by here ankle. Sasuke and Lee jerked out of their trance as everyone else jumped to their feet, holding their newly chosen weapons out in front of them. Sakura angled her head down - up? - to look at what was holding her ankle. A thick wrapping of sand had coiled around her foot and ankle.

"Gaara, what the hell?" Sasuke snarled, glaring in the direction he assumed the Kazekage would be. "What are you doing?"

Gaara stepped out of the trees, glaring back at Sasuke. "I have no need to explain myself to you, Uchiha." He said in his monotone, waving his hand so that Sakura lifted farther off the ground and was at eye level with him. "Sakura, I presume you have a reason for being in the middle of the forest."

Sakura forced her gaze away from the sand and to Gaara. "Yeah, but I can't remember it now, all the blood in my body suddenly rushed to my brain." She informed him in a matter-of-fact voice, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I'm pretty sure my brain cells are drowning."

He shook his head and opened his fist. Sakura fell towards the ground immediately. Sasuke darted forward to catch her so she wouldn't land on her head. He grunted and the sand wrapped around both of them instead and covered his field of vision.

"Let us out of here!" Sasuke roared, lowering one knee to the sand and resting Sakura on his leg - afraid that Gaara would absorb her if she touched the sand - with his left arm still wrapped around her waits so he could pull his katana out.

They could barely hear the other Jinchuuriki screaming insults at Gaara outside the dome of sand but Sasuke ignored them and sliced at the sand with his blade, pushing as much Lightning-Chakra into the metal as possible. The sand separated but reformed before Sasuke could move a muscle. He hissed out an few key swear words. Sakura gently patted him on the cheek and pressed her hand to the sand, sending a wave of her chakra towards Gaara. She entered his mind with a jerk.

_**Let me kill them! Take their blood and spread it across this clearing, boy!**_ Ichibi was bellowing at him, pure blood-lust literally radiating off the demon.

_Stay out of my head, demon!_ Gaara hissed back, countering his demon's anger with his own. _You have no right to tell me what to do!_

'_Gaara, do you mind letting me and Sasuke out of this bubble? It's getting hard to breath and I'd rather not die of suffocation, m'kay?'_ Sakura chirped up, ignoring the angry roar from Ichibi as he growled something about 'unwanted intruders.'

_Sakura? How are you contacting me through my thoughts?_ Gaara asked, ignoring the yelling demon behind him.

Sakura frowned and looked around. They were in a large, dank room. There was a tunnel connecting to the room - which seemed to be split in half - that led to who knows where. The room had a large metal gate separating the two halves. Ichibi was safely locked behind it, numerous seals were placed over the bars. Most had been torn or ripped. More destroyed ones were laying on the ground. The ones that were left would break immediately, at the slightest growth in power from Ichibi - _like the chance he would get in Gaara were ever to fall asleep…_ She thought to herself dully.

'_I lean on my feet, Gare-Bear. Now, can you please let me out? Cause this jutsu takes a lot of energy and I'm tired as it is…_' She let her voice trail off as she snapped back to her own body.

The sand slowly fell away around them as Gaara gently set them on the ground, he was still glowering at Sasuke. Sasuke matched his glare easily.

"Jinchuuriki or not, Gaara, if you endanger _any _of our lives like that again, I won't hesitate to end your life." Sasuke hissed, gently setting Sakura on the ground in front of him and standing up so he looked more intimidating.

The two glared at each other - with Sakura quickly scrambling away from them so she wasn't stuck between them - and the other Jinchuuriki standing back nervously. They stayed that way for a few minutes before Hinata quietly spoke up from behind Sakura and Tenten.

"Um… If you two kill each other now it'll just defeat the purpose of all we've already gone through." Hinata told them in a hushed voice.

The two turned to her, their glares still blazing. She yelped and ducked behind Tenten, holding onto the older girls arm nervously. Naruto stepped in front of the three female Jinchuuriki.

"Listen up, we'll all end up dead if we don't work together. And as much as I hate working with some of you, teamwork's the only option we have if we're going to survive. Things are just going to get harder from here on out. Failure is not an option, failure ends in death." He paused, thinking his next words through. "I know most of us haven't been in any _major_ missions before. Maybe, you've had an A, if you're lucky. B is probably the highest you've gone and - even if you've had an A-ranked mission - I can _guarantee _that it won't be as difficult as what we're about to go through. But, even still, more hangs on our success than any other mission. If we fail this time, we won't just loose a few bucks or our sensei's disapproval for a few days. If we fail, there's the potential that the entire world could be destroyed.

"I don't pretend to know everything there is to know about Jinchuuriki." He glanced over at his younger sister. "Or about all the world's clans" A look at Sasuke. "Or their powers." A look at Neji. "Or even about most weapons." At Tenten. "But, if I do know one thing, it's this. If people kept quitting and dropping what they're doing because it was difficult, we'd be nowhere. We'd be a bunch of dumb fucks sitting around and complaining about how crummy our lives are. Sure, if you want to, I won't stop you from doing that. But,_ I_ will _never_ quit. _That's_ my way of the ninja. I plan to stick this through to the end. I won't get mad at you or even try to stop you if you want to leave, I won't even hold it against you. This is _your_ lives on the line, I can risk mine but I have no right to risk yours."

Naruto paused again, looking each Jinchuuriki in the eye. "I'll admit that I'm scared, terrified to death actually, but I'm even more scared to know that - if I give up - everyone I care about will die, you all included. I won't lie to you, there's a chance you may die. Okay, that's not phrasing it properly. There's a _definite_ possibility that you are going to die. I know that. I know that if I stick this through, I'm probably going to die. But I can't just sit back and wait for the Akatsuki to take Kyuubi from me! I don't know why I was stuck with this thing, all I know is that I am. Which means it's now my duty to make sure that his power ends with me. I _won't_ let the Akatsuki use the Kyuubi's power for whatever their trying to do, I _won't_ let him get sealed into anyone after me, and I _certainly_ won't allow him to take over my body and destroy everything. This is my curse to bear, I won't let it be inflicted on the world, too. I won't hold it against you if you leave, but please, if you're going to leave. Go now, so we won't fall apart later. We'll give you anything you need to do whatever you plan to do, but after that, please don't interrupt our plans."

No one moved a muscle so he looked around the loose circle again.

"After knowing all that, are you still willing to risk your lives?" He asked the circle at large, not addressing the question to anyone in particular.

"Sheesh, ni-san. Keep talking like that and people might start thinking that you're growing up." Sakura scoffed under her breath, shaking her head slowly as she rubbed her temples.

"If I wasn't prepared for this, I would have stayed in Konoha and just given _them_ my demon." Sasuke told him, finally putting his katana away as he wandered over to his backpack.

"We all know the risks of being a Jinchuuriki, Uzumaki." Neji told him, walking past the blond to lay down next to a tree.

"Yeah, we've kind of figured out how bad this stuff is from watching your battle with the Akatsuki." Tenten told him, rubbing the back of her neck.

"I-I won't leave, Naruto-kun." Hinata told him softly, conviction strengthening her voice.

"Like you said, we're all in this together." Shikamaru told him from his place next to a large oak tree.

"I won't give up either, Naruto-san!" Lee added, looking at Naruto from behind the dispersing group.

Gaara merely sat down at the far edges of the clearing. Naruto looked around the group, amazed that everyone had agreed so readily.

"It's do or die time, Ni-san." Sakura muttered from the ground, looking up at her brother.

"Either get on the bandwagon or shut up, Uzumaki." Sasuke added, laying on the ground and clasping his hands behind his head.


	15. Beware the Sanbi

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the characters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. lmao.

* * *

'_A mistake is simply another way of doing things.'-Katharine Graham _

* * *

The nine Jinchuuriki lounged around the large lake, talking, laughing and generally pretending that everything was fine. Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, Hinata and Lee were all swimming around in the water, seeing who could swim faster or just relaxing in the cool water. Tenten was stretched out of the shore, tanning. Neji, Gaara and Shikamaru were sitting under the trees and staying away from the others, thinking - or sleeping in the latter's case.

Sasuke looked over at Naruto with a conspiratorial smirk, the blond returned it. Both team-mates swam silently over to the two girls and slipped under water.

"I just don't understand why you're all so annoyed by this." Sakura was telling Hinata, shaking her head seriously. "I prefer to look at the positive side of things. Instead of saying that we were kicked out of our village, I say that Tsunade has granted us time for a nature retreat."

Hinata sighed. "I-I understand that, Sakura-san. But can you really blame us for- _Ah_!"

"For ah?" Sakura repeated, glancing at her companion in confusion. Hinata had vanished. "Hinata? Where'd you-"

Two hands gripped Sakura's ankles and yanked her under water. She flailed around in the mystery person's arm for a few moments before they both resurfaced. Sasuke had somehow manoeuvred her around so that she was hanging onto his back, out of the water.

"Sasuke, what the hell!" Sakura cried in annoyance, leaning over his shoulder so she could look him in the face. "What are you doing?!"

"Na-Naruto-kun." Hinata stuttered, also hanging off of Naruto's back.

The blond tilted his head back, flashing her his signature grin but didn't say anything. Sasuke looked up at Sakura and smirked smugly.

"Don't you dare." Sakura hissed, realization dawning on her face.

Sasuke reached behind him to grab her waist, ready to throw her over his shoulder and into the deeper waters. He froze immediately, the fact that Naruto was tossing Hinata unceremoniously into the water beside him, and bit back a growl. Sakura had stiffened on his back as well, as a huge chakra presence washed over them.

Literally.

Almost the second they sensed the presence approaching, a large wave appeared at one end of the lake, surging towards them at a fast pace. Sakura gasped and tightened her grip on Sasuke. Naruto grabbed Hinata around the wrist and was attempting to make it to shore before the wave hit, but Sasuke just readjusted his grip on Sakura's knees and sent his chakra to the bottom of the lake, hoping that it would be enough to at least lessen the blow. By that point, Shikamaru, Neji, Gaara and Tenten had realized something was wrong and were getting to their feet…

Just as the wave hit. The threw the swimmers straight out of the water and pushed the four Jinchuuriki that we already on the land back farther. Sasuke swore as the wave pushed him and Sakura farther into the air, grabbing hold of his demonic chakra he activated the jutsu that Shichibi had taught him. The jutsu for transformation. Without saying a word to her, Sasuke let his arms slip away from her legs as she fell away from him. Almost instantly, bright red wings burst from his back. If he had been a second slowly, Sakura would have been skewered. He dove forward and caught her, in his arms this time.

"It's them…" Sakura barely managed to choke out, watching the massive wave reside into the lakebed. "Kisame and Itachi…"

Sasuke swore again and landed next to his comrades - who had hastily assembled in a circle on the lakes shore. In the middle of the lake Kisame and Itachi stood on the water, watching the Jinchuuriki with neutral expressions. Sasuke carefully set Sakura on the ground as he did a mental head count. _Six, seven…eight?_ His gaze darted around the clearing before finally falling on the black-head of hair floating only three meters from the two Akatsuki. He had a sudden hope that they wouldn't notice Lee there.

Kisame turned his gaze to the Sanbi's container with a grin.

"They planned it this way…" Sakura breathed, gripping Sasuke's arm in fear. "Itachi can release his seal. Sanbi will only be _that_ much stronger in the water, they planned this, Sasuke!"

He patted her hand lightly and stepped forward. "Itachi! You leave him be and take me instead." He roared across the lake, glaring over the water at his brother.

Itachi frowned, as if Sasuke was only a mild irritation he was to busy to take care of. "Otouto, I have no use for you as of this moment. Though we will happily trade you the Sanbi for the Ichibi." He paused before adding. "As I'm sure you are aware, we must seal the demons in order."

"You're not exactly one to talk as if you're in the lead, Itachi. There are nine of us but only four Akatsuki. The odds aren't in your favour, brother." Sasuke yelled back, flinching when Itachi took a step towards Lee, his Mangekyou swirling rapidly.

"Yeah, but how many of you _Jinchuuriki_ are up to par with us Akatsuki?" Kisame yelled back, watching as Itachi lifted Lee out of the water by the front of his jumpsuit. "Akatsuki have a very rigorous selection process, but you're all kind of stuck with what you get."

"Not all of us may be able to fight you, but our demon's chakra makes up for that tenfold." Naruto snarled back, joining the argument when he got a chance.

Kisame shrugged. "I understand that you are all cocky from the battle with the Zombie Twins, but - truth be told - Sakura and the Uchiha are probably the only two that would stand a chance against one of the remaining Akatsuki one-on-one." He told them, grinning like a mad man. "Of course, that doesn't include me or Madara."

"You forget, sempai. We don't _need_ to fight one-on-one. We outmatch you two-to-one. I could easily take out Zetsu on my own, and I have no doubt that Sasuke would take out Itachi given a moments notice." Sakura shrugged airily, faking nonchalance. "Then we'd be able to help anyone who needed it, ne?"

"You're courage is admirable, Sakura, but it borders on the insane." Itachi said calmly, watching as demonic chakra slowly started to seep out of Lee's seal. He dropped the black-haired boy onto the water before gesturing to Kisame. They both disappeared.

"Well, any ideas?" Naruto asked, watching the deep blue chakra start swirling around their friend.

"Don't get killed and hope Sanbi isn't in a bad mood?" Sakura offered weakly, watching as the chakra started to form tails on the Jinchuuriki. Her eyes flickered to the people around her, hoping the temporary seals she had placed on them would hold up with this much demonic chakra around.

"You'll hate me for saying this, but we can't hold back." Sasuke told them in a hushed voice, his eyes narrowing dramatically as his Sharingan activated. They all shot glares at him angrily - Sakura and Naruto averted their gazes.. "I'm sorry, but its true. We _can't _think of him as our friend, we _can't _think of him as another Jinchuuriki, we _can't_ hold back at all. He's an enemy, that's all there is to this."

"What the are you saying?" Hinata asked weakly, a terrified expression on her face.

"He's my _team-mate_, how do you expect me to try to kill him. Would you be able to attack Naruto or Sakura?!" Tenten hissed at him, jumping in front of the group so they'd have to go around her to get at Lee.

"We have no choice!" Sakura cried, her eyes shimmering. "This battle…. It's our only option! If we leave him alone now he'll just keep going until everything is destroyed! People will die if we don't fight him, can you live with yourselves if that happened? If we just let them die then we'll be no better than the Akatsuki!"

"You'd know all about that, wouldn't you, Sakura?" Neji countered, glaring at her. She flinched.

"If you can't handle this then leave." Naruto yelled, his eyes flashing dangerously. "This isn't Sakura's fault, this is the Akatsuki's fault, we can't go around blaming each other for this."

"We're Jinchuuriki, we don't have many allies, if you haven't noticed." Shikamaru added in a voice that suggested he'd rather be anywhere else at that moment. "If we start fighting with each other… it'll be all over for us."

Neji and Tenten both seemed like the world was closing in around them. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura immediately activated their full tail power when it was obvious that the two Team Guy members weren't going to fight them. Hinata and Shikamaru called on a small amount of their powers - only the amount that they dared to. Gaara summoned a large wall of sand to surround the lake and its shore, partially so he had something to do and partially so others wouldn't get in their way.

_What's the plan, guys?_ Naruto asked, watching as his seventh tail formed. _Damn, we're lucky Nagato blessed us. We'd never win if we couldn't get all our tails._

_It's a drag that he didn't bless the rest of us…_ Shikamaru groaned in response, annoyance flashing through his voice.

_Oh, don't say that, Shikamaru-san, we're lucky he blessed us at all. None of us would be here if he hadn't. Those Akatsuki would have destroyed us last year if not for Naruto-kun, Sasuke-san and Sakura-san._ Hinata chided him gently, her face flushing as if she was embarrassed for him. _We must count our blessing while we still have them._

_Come on, guys, we have to focus. _Naruto snapped at them, his eighth tail already forming behind him.

_Any insight, Sakura?_ Sasuke asked, hoping to get their attention back on the battle.

_Uh, well obviously he's covered in a giant shell so basic Taijustu won't do much. He_ might_ fall for some Genjustu's but only really high quality ones, if any. Ninjustu will be our best bet._ Sakura said thoughtfully, her five tails starting to show the five elements their represented. _Oh, and aim for his left eye, it's the only spot not guarded._

_So, we're fighting a Cyclopes, three-tailed, building._ Naruto deduced, looking at his sister with a grin.

_In the most simplistic of ways, yes._ She responded in a exasperated voice.

_Naruto, summon as many Shadow Clones as possible and use those to distract him. Sasuke, shove as much of your demonic chakra into your Chidori as possible and slam it into his left eye when Naruto has him completely distracted. Sakura, Hinata, you two stay here with me and we'll try and find a way to seal him._

_Right!_ They all called in unison, jumping into position. Naruto summoned a horde of Clones, so that they spread out along the lake to glare at the large Sanbi. Sasuke fell to the shore - moving his hands together constantly so that he repeated the seals for his Chidori over and over again - waiting for Naruto to get distract Sanbi enough for him to get a clear fix.

Naruto's Shadow Clones hurried towards their target, all summoning separate Rasengans to hopefully distract Sanbi. Each attack slammed harmlessly against the thick shell. Just as one of Sanbi's tails shot out to the small group of people at the lakes shore.

"_Get down_!"


	16. Bringer of Fear

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the characters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. Lmao.

* * *

_A friend is one who walks in when others walk out  
-Walter Winchell_

* * *

"Get down!" Sakura screamed, spinning on her heel and racing towards the other two Jinchuuriki. "Tenten! Neji! _Run!_"

Sanbi's tail wrapped around Team Guy's two remaining members and yanked them away from the ground, barely noticing the attacks and weapons the other Jinchuuriki were throwing at him. Sakura launched herself off the ground, trying to get to her friends but Sasuke tackled her away.

"Sakura, snap out of it! You'll just get captured, too!" Sasuke told her, yanking her back to the water so that they were far enough away from Sanbi that his attacks wouldn't hit them.

_What__'__s he going to do to them_?! Hinata cried desperately, a sob wracking her body as she looked between the other Jinchuuriki.

_I don__'__t know_. Sakura managed to choke out, watching the demon in front of them in panic. _H__…__He__'__s not smart enough to hold them hostage, what__'__s he planning__…__?_

_He__…__ I think he__'__s planning to eat them._ Naruto said in horror, gaping at the large turtle.

They watched in fear as Sanbi moved his second tail above his mouth and dropped the two Jinchuuriki straight into its throat. Sakura gasped in fear as her knees buckled beneath her, the only reason that she didn't sink below the water was because Sasuke still had a firm hold on her waist. Hinata collapsed to her knees and started sobbing hysterically. Naruto and Shikamaru just stood where they were, watching the demon in disbelief.

* * *

Tenten and Neji tumbled down the three-tailed demons throat, both coating their hands and feet in chakra to try and get a good foot hold - so they could climb out. They never found a one and kept falling down the creature's throat, not believing that minutes ago this had been their normal - albeit slightly eccentric - team-mate. Neji swore violently and grabbed onto Tenten, pulling her towards him so that they wouldn't get separated by accident.

"What are we going to _do_, Neji?!" Tenten cried, pulling a kunai out to try and dig it into the slimy flesh so it might create a foot hold. It didn't. "The stomach acid will kill us! We'll die!"

Neji bit back a growl and looked down into the murky darkness, straining his pale eyes to catch sight of anything that would help him. Of everything he had planned - every possible scenario he had gone over and the strategies that he had accompanied with them – he had never imagined that Lee – demon form or not – would _swallow_ his two teammates. The Hyuuga's eyes flashed as his Byakugan activated, robbing him of the color – not that it was doing him any good – and replacing it with a black and white outline of the Sanbi's throat. Even without seeing the disgusting muck that was definitely lining the walls around them, Neji had to swallow a few times to keep his lunch down.

He forced his gaze outside the creature, the others were still battling Sanbi - with no idea if he or Tenten were even alive - but they were giving it their all. If Neji remembered his biology - which was probably correct - they would probably fall into the stomach at any moment. Normally it could take an hour or so to get down the esophagus, but - compared to the demon - two Shinobi wouldn't need to be forced down so it wouldn't take very long. As soon as that thought left his mind, he saw the bottom of the stomach come into view. Tenten had focused on it as well, leaving him to believe that she had enhanced her eyes with chakra to see through the murky darkness.

They landed on the skin of the stomach, staring down at their feet, waiting for the stomach acid to burn away the soles of their shoes.

"Maybe we're to small to notice?" Tenten suggested lightly, gazing around the large cavern. "Too bad he didn't shallow Sakura as well, she'd know exactly where we were and the best - and least disgusting way - to get outside."

Neji shook his head as his Byakugan scanned the room for anything that signalled danger. "I'd rather not risk our only medic to get us out of here. We might need her when we get out." He told his teammate in annoyance.

Tenten shrugged. "_If_ we get out." She corrected, taking a step away from him and leaning forward to inspect the ground.

"No, _when_." He countered, stepping closer to the wall nearest them. Black swirls and strange markings were tattooed on the side of the stomach and seemed to be giving off a strange red glow. "What do you suppose this thing is?"

Tenten glanced over her shoulder at him. "Dunno... maybe an old scar or something? Lee _has_ been injured a lot..." She looked up suddenly and her chakra-enhanced eyes darted around the chamber. "Did you hear something?"

Neji turned around, forgetting the marks. His Byakugan immediately honed in on the abnormality. Small sources of chakra were running towards them, coming from somewhere near the liver_ 'maybe even farther down_...' He thought, frowning as they turned the corner.

Hundreds, maybe thousands, of tiny little Sanbi's were hurrying towards them with their single eye flashing dangerously.

"I just had a thought." Neji told his teammate offhandedly. "Maybe, because its a demon's system, the digestive enzymes look... differently than a humans would."

"Meaning?" Tenten asked quietly, fear flickering across her face.

"Meaning that maybe instead of digestive fluids, they'll have small little turtles to eat any intruders." He told her, looking around the chamber for any possible escape route.

He found two options. Up - which would be next to impossible with the saliva and mucous coating the esophagus - or straight - which would be even harder with the tiny, flesh-eating turtles blocking their way. Neji took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his Byakugan darting around the large stomach. With a jolt, he realized the answer.

"Tenten, grab my hand and follow me no matter what." Neji commanded, hoping his voice was strong enough that she would do as he asked without asking questions

She complied but sent him a confused look, knowing this was _not_ the situation to ask questions in. Neji focused the chakra into his feet and ran at the wall. The fluids that would normally coat the inside of the stomach wouldn't be inside the Sanbi if it had those small turtles instead. There would only be slippery material on the ground - where the Sanbi's saliva dropped from its throat. The ceiling and walls would be dry enough for them to walk on. Giving them enough space to run directly over the turtles unharmed. The one-eyed monsters watched them run up the walls and over the ceiling.

"Clearly there aren't any digestive enzymes around here, so we can run around unhindered." Neji called over his shoulder when the passed the last of the turtles. "Which means we only have to dodge the turtles, and that'll be easy because animals can't control chakra. So we just have to walk on the ceiling until we find a place that's close enough to the skin that we can break our way out. Alright?"

"Great plan." Tenten said, happy that she wasn't the one who needed to think of one herself. "Now that the turtle-things are behind us, what now?"

"We'll hide in the Gall Bladder until they place to the Liver. When they leave, we'll go back to the stomach and try the walls there first. If they aren't thin enough, we'll try the Liver. Though I think that's where the turtles came from so I'd rather not go there." Neji said quickly, mentally judging their location from what he knew of a turtles digestive system and yanking Tenten into a cavity in the wall.

The stayed on the ceiling, leaning against the walls in exhaustion as they waited for the one-eyed turtles to pass. Tenten bit her lip painfully.

"How did things come to this, Neji?" She asked in a croaked voice, as if she was using the full extent of her power to keep the tears back. "Not a month ago we were normal shinobi and now we're about to be killed by our teammates turtle enzymes."

Neji's mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to find the right words. "I... I don't know, Tenten. I don't think we were ever normal, but we didn't do anything to deserve this crap. We did missions to help our village and fought against enemies to protect it and then we got kicked out despite all that." He said, thinking aloud as he glanced down the corridor warily. "I've been comtemplating why this all happened to us since Hinata and I transformed... I haven't been able to come up with an answer as of yet. But, there must be a reason to the madness and we'll find it."

Tenten chuckled. "You've really changed Neji, a year ago you would have told me that it was our destiny to be cursed like this." She paused before asking. "Do you think we'll be able to release Lee from this? Or will he..."

"He's not going to die, if that's what your asking." He smiled and shook his head. "The others are giving it their all out there but its not damaging him at all. I'm sure he'll be fine, though his pride may be injured a little, knowing Lee."

She nodded solemnly before glancing out the corridor again. "Okay, they weren't that slow, where are they?"

Neji frowned and followed her gaze. With a dull sense of realization, his head snapped around. Without wasting precious time to explain, Neji grabbed Tenten's hand and raced from the room. Numerous turtles had been creeping out the walls, probably since they entered the room, and were standing on the ceiling racing after them. Neji pulled him teammate around the corner so they were once again locked in the stomach. He pushed her towards the seal and stood between her and the monsters.

"Try and break through the wall, or try to contact one of the others. Didn't one of them say we could mentally contact each other?" Neji called over his shoulder, falling into the Gentle Fist pose as he waited for the turtles to round the corner.

Tenten's voice entered his mind suddenly._ Guys? Am I doing this right?_

Almost all the Jinchuuriki - minus Gaara of course - mentally shouted. _Tenten! Are you alright?_

_Depeneds on your definition of the word._ She told them, her eyes snapping in Neji's directions as the turtles hurried towards them. _We're in it's stomach. Sakura, what's the best place to break out?_

"_Rotation_!" Neji cried, rapidly spinning in a circle to deflect a dozen or so turtles. They flew back, slightly dazed, but before long they started running towards him again.

Break_ out_? Sakura repeated in confusion. _That'll be hard. Sanbi's skin is one of the hardest surfaces in the world. Try climbing up the esophagus._

_Eso-what?_ Naruto asked in a dull voice, that told the others that he didn't like it when people used 'big words' around him.

_Leave the scientific talk to the smart people, Naruto._ Sasuke snapped, clearly annoyed that his teammate was so easily distracted in the middle of such an important battle.

_Don't you think we tried that?!_ Neji snapped, trying not to let his anger interfere with his jutsu. "_Rotation_!"

_It doesn't work... hmm... well, if you guys are alive that means there aren't any enzymes in there, right? Then why can't you just climb out. We can get it to open it's mouth. Right, guys?_ Sakura asked, her voice strained as if she had just ran a marathon.

_Yeah! I may not know what a enz-what-cha-ma-callit is, but I can beat stuff up _really _good!_ Naruto exclaimed happily before adding._ Dattebayo!_

_There's saliva all over the esophagus, Sakura. The enzymes are a bunch of miniature Sanbi's that are trying to eat us. Neji's holding them off but he won't be able to last long._ Tenten told her friend desperately, her eyes darting around the large chamber. _Wait, there's strange black markings on the wall, would those mean something?_

_What do they look like?_ Shikamaru asked, a sudden conviction filling his voice.

_Huh? Um, they're kind of... I dunno._ Her voice trailed off as she inspected the glowing tattoos.

_Picture them in your mind. If you see it, we will too_. Sakura commanded, her voice cracking slightly.

Tenten complied immediately and memorized every swirl and turn the black lines made. She forced herself to mentally imagine the design, as if the tattoo was imprinted in her mind instead of the inside of the Sanbi's stomach.

_Do you guys recognize it, as well?_ Shikamaru asked lightly, a slightly nervous tone in his voice.

_Uh-huh._ Sasuke agreed, his voice sounding as weak as Sakura's. _Tenten, I know your control isn't as strong as ours. But, we really need you to do something. Focus some chakra - your demon's chakra - into your hand and send it into the seal._

_Seal? This is Sanbi's seal?_ Tenten asked, terror filling her veins as the simple black lines took on a new meaning in her mind.

_Yes, behind those lines you'll find a corridor. Follow it until you reach a large room. _Sasuke commanded her, acting as if he was simply telling her how to get to his favourite restaurant. _Lee should be there, but don't try to wake him up. There will be giant metal bars with a Seal tapped to it._

_Demon chakra, corridor, don't wake Lee, jail cell. Then what?_ Tenten asked, her mind racing through the instructions Sasuke had given her.

_Bit your thumb, like your going to summon something, and trace the Seal with your blood._ He finished, taking a deep breath as he raced back into the fight.

Tenten looked at the stomach's wall in horror. She had never been able to hold onto her demon's chakra, not even a small portion. The instant she _sensed_ demon's chakra - which wasn't even hers - she lost control. What if she transformed now and ripped the Sanbi apart from the inside out and attacked everyone else, too? What if she killed them?

It didn't matter.

She had to try.

Tenten took a deep breath, reaching deep inside her to find the fountain of chakra that was the Nibi.

"Rota-"

With a jolt, Tenten found herself in a large, forested clearing. There were abnormally large trees surrounding her on all sides, pressed together to block any escape. Turning in a slow circle, she noticed that a dozen trees were farther apart than the others - only two or three meters but enough to give her a clear view of the large yellow eyes that were glaring at her from behind their prison. The weapon specialist's eyes focused on the small Seal placed on one of the bar-like trees.

_**My, my, Human, you appear to be stuck in quite a predicament.**_ Nibi no Nekomata purred, obviously enjoying the situation.

Tenten said nothing, to terrified to even work up the nerve to open her mouth. Nibi laughed, a throatly, hissing laugh.

_**I am amused by you human. **_The demon cat told her, it's slitted eyes narrowing slightly. _**I am not saying that I would risk my own life to save yours, and if I am given the chance I **_**will**_** take control of your body, human. Though, if your life is on the line, mine is as well. I believe you already knew that, did you not?**_

Tenten nodded mutely, her eyes wide with shock.

_**Do not consider this a common occurance, human. I do not let humans into my domain, let alone give them my powers. But, if you strengthen Sanbi's seal, my life will be spared.**_ Nibi told her in a monoton, as if this situation was merely a play she was watching from a far off seat. _**I will only give you my powers for a short time.**_

"Oh, thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me!" Tenten exclaimed, finally finding her voice. "Is demon's chakra just like my chakra? Do I control it the same way?"

Nibi frowned._** I said I would give you my powers, I did not say you will be able to control it.**_ The demon told her Jinchuuriki in amusement. _**It is next to impossible to fully control a demon's chakra, for a human at least. I am surprised that so many Jinchuuriki show the knack for it. Perhaps you will break the chain and I will break free. Either way, my life is guaranteed.**_


	17. Seals a Plenty

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the characters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. Lmao.

* * *

_'Bravery is being the only one who knows your afraid.'_

_-Franklin P. Jones_

* * *

_**Perhaps you will break the chain and I will break free. Either way, my life is guaranteed.**_

Tenten's mouth went dry as she gaped at the demon. None of the others had mentioned controling their demon's chakra as a problem. Sure, she knew that Ichibi almost killed all of Team 7, but she had always figured that Gaara was either still in control or he gave full control to his demon. Sakura always protrayed her demon as a maternal creature, like the mother she never had. Kyuubi was an ass but willingly gave his chakra to Naruto. Sasuke rarely talked to his demon, but was able to take it's chakra at will. None of the others had even tried to control their demons. Not that she blamed them, of course, she knew how terrifying it was too lose control and attack her friends. They were scared that they would be the next to lose control, the next to end up like Lee.

_Lee_. She thought dully, knowing how scared he must be at that moment. There was no possible way that the others would be able to help him at all. Neji was keeping away the creepy turtles and - even if he could hold them off - there was no way he'd be able to break away and get to the Sanbi's Seal in time. Naruto and Sasuke were too bust keeping the Sanbi away from the others. Sakura - judging by how weak she sounded earlier - were at her breaking point for healing, even with her demon's chakra. Shikamaru and Hinata couldn't even get close to the thing in fear of their lives. Even if Gaara could let his sand barrior down, he wouldn't come in here to save someone other than himself. It was all on her. The lives of every Jinchuuriki rested squarely on her shoulders.

Tenten bit her lip. "I don't care if I die. I _need_ to try. It doesn't matter if I fail, as long as my friends are okay!" She cried, tears prickling at her eyes.

_**Very well, human kitten, you may try to control my powers. But, remember, once you have used my powers once, you cannot **_**un**_**-use them.**_ Nibi cautioned, shaking her head as a dark - almost black - purple wave of chakra shot towards Tenten.

When the chakra touched her skin, she was immediately back in the stomach chamber. Everything was exactly as she left it. Shikamaru was still muttering possible strategies to Sasuke and Naruto while Hinata told Sakura to stop over-doing herself.

"-_tation_!" Neji finished, ending his jutsu quickly and starting up another one directly after.

Tenten grabbed her head as the purple chakra surrounded her body, she let out a cry of pain. The others called her name but all she could hear was the blood pounding against her ears in a dull thud. The dark chakra swirled around her body until it found her pressure points and shot into her body. Her back arched as she let out another cry of pain, the chakra curling around her heart and flowing through the chambers as her blood pumped rapidly. It slowly made it's way down to her center and curled around her seal.

With a gasp, the pain stopped and she could feel Nibi snickering at her from somewhere inside herself. With a jolt, she realized that she could feel her demon's presence hovering around her and the fountain of dark chakra that was directly beside her own chakra.

The weapons' specialist stood up slowly, her eyes focusing on the Sanbi's seal in front of her. She grabbed hold of the darker chakra and focused it in her hand, having no more difficulty than she would if she used her own chakra. Tenten placed her palm against the seal's center. Slowly, as if there were a fire on the other side, the wall started to melt away from her hand. As if her new chakra was some sort of poisen that Sanbi's skin was running away from.

With a quick glance over her shoulder, Tenten raced down the corridor - only once she knew that Neji was fine by himself - and looked ahead to try and find the room Sasuke had mentioned. Within seconds - of using her new chakra to accelerate her, of course - she arrived at a large room. The walls, floors and ceilings appeared to be made out of solid coral reefs with no gaps in the surface. There was a large pool with coral reef bars covering half of the room. Lee was laying unconcious a meter of two from the pool with green-blue chakra swirling around him. Tenten ignored him, just as Sasuke told her to.

Like he said, there was a small piece of paper stuck to one of the reef bars closest to the ground - so she wouldn't have to balance on one of the bars to get to it, like she originally thought.

She slowly approached the shore side and knelt over. A chakra outline of the Sanbi was floating somewhere near the bottom of it's cage - which meant that it was still bound to this place, but it's physical body was outside fighting. As she approached, Tenten would see that the character for Seal was slowly fading away. Sanbi was taking power from its Jinchuuriki, in a matter of minutes it would destroy Lee completely and it would no longer be bound.

Tenten bit her thumb, drawing blood and ran into over the seal symbol. Nothing happened immediately, so she traced the line three more times before it started darkening. Each stroke of her thumb added to the Seal's darkness, which also brought more and more of the Sanbi's physical form back to its cage, she could see it's form easier than she had when she entered. Lee was also gaining some of his color back.

Tenten smiled to herself when Sanbi's form was clear below her and the room around her closed in on itself...

* * *

Sasuke jumped backwards as Sanbi slammed it's tail towards him. He gestured for Naruto to follow him and landed on the shore, next to the other Jinchuuriki. Hinata and Shikamaru were standing as far away from the battle as they could get, in fear of losing control. Gaara was watching with a detached expression, most of his attention focused on the sand barrior surrounding the lake. Sakura was on her hands and knees, taking deeps breaths and trying to pull out more chakra. He and Naruto had sustained major injuries more than once, but were perfectly fine thanks to her. It was taking a major toll on the pink-haired kunoichi.

"We haven't heard from Tenten or Neji for a while." Hinata told them nervously as she shifted from foot to foot. "Do you think the tiny turtles they mentioned got them? Are they dead?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No, you sensed that blast of chakra a while ago, right? I'd recognize it anyway. No other demon can make your blood run cold as fast as the Nibi's can." He said in a low voice as they watched Sanbi warily, it's tails were thrashing wildly around it but its eye was focused on them.

"Tenten lost control? Does that mean she killed Neji?!" Hinata cried desperately, falling to her knees behind Sakura and Naruto as tears filled her eyes.

"No..." Sakura croaked out, barely holding herself up. "I felt... Nagato. Tenten has the...same seal that we...do..."

Sasuke bit back a growl and crouched next to his teammate, letting her fall weakly into his lap as he picked her up. Her eyes were closed and she had lost a lot of color, but he knew that she still had her own chakra stored up somewhere inside her. She was saving it in case the other three needed it.

"You damn matyr..." He hissed under his breath, his eyes flickering to the Sanbi.

Suddenly, it's form started to fade, as if someone was taking their camera out of focus. It's eye flashed dangerously and it started thrashing around. It's tails slammed into the ground violently, creating land craters on the lakes surface. It's front legs were kicking out wildly as if fighting off invisible enemies. But, the strangest thing, was the large black seal that appeared on the creature's stomach.

"Nagato's Seal..." Naruto breathed, staring at the Rinnengan-looking swirls on six points around the main seal. "Are you sure you didn't feel _Lee_ getting Nagato's Seal, Imouto?"

Sakura shook her head weakly and pressed her cheek against Sasuke's chest. "Both have it..."

By this point, the Sanbi was a mere chakra imprint floating above the lake. Three small - compared to the large demon - shapes fell towards the water. Gaara let his sand barrior drop, controlling the sand so it caught the three members of Team Guy before they could hit the water. He brought them over and laid them on the shore. Hinata and Shikamaru looked them over, only to delcare that none of them had any injuries. They were simply exhausted.

The Jinchuuriki breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. Sasuke pressed his back against a tree and sat down, cradling Sakura in his arms. Naruto and Gaara didn't even make it to the tree line and simply fell - or lay, in Gaara's case - where they were. Shikamaru used his shadows to pull Team Guy, Naruto and Gaara closer to the trees so they wouldn't accidentally roll into the water in their sleep as he and Hinata discussed night watch schedules.

Neji woke up the next morning and looked around their hastily made camp site with half-open eyes. Tenten and Lee were still on the ground on either side of him, completely unconcious. Not that he blamed them, of course, to have three - two, in Tenten's case - tails of pure chakra running through their system would be enough to knock anyone out for weeks. Not Team Guy, though. Knowing his teammates, the Hyuuga estimated that they would wake around sunset. Satisfied with his assumption, his gaze travelled to the other Jinchuuriki.

Naruto and Sasuke were argueing in hushed voices about the best way to cook fish with Shikamaru adding a comment every now and again. Gaara was sitting against a tree a few meters behind Hinata, who was sketching something in a drawing book with Sakura leaning over her shoulder. The pink-haired kunoichi looked up at him and grinned.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Neji." She chirped, her chakra regained from a good nights sleep. "Any pain? Aches?"

Neji shook his head as the other Jinchuuriki looked over at him. "No..." He paused, remembering how his uncle used to yell at him for lying to Medics when he was younger. "My joints are a little sore, but it'll pass soon."

She shrugged. "Alright, just let me know if anything gets worse. Using most of your chakra could cause some serious pain and needs to be looked at immediately." She informed him before looking back down at Hinata's drawing.

His cousin looked up at him. "When you feel up to it would you mind checking this for me?" Hinata asked in her usual quiet voice. "Shikamaru was thinking that it couldn't hurt to find the difference between the seals. I don't remember why, though..."

"What a drag..." Shikamaru murmured under his breath before explaining. "See, my theory is that if Nagato's Seal is added after the original seal, we could just draw it on ourselves. It might not be that easy, but if we know what it looks like we'd be able to find some ritual or something to get it on without a life-or-death situation."

Neji nodded to himself. "I thought that _he_ was the one who had to put it on." He informed them, looking between the members of Team Kakashi in confusion. "These three were there when he died so I assumed they were the only ones who were... for lack of better terms, blessed."

"So did we." Naruto muttered, digging a stick into a large fish and holding it in front of the fire.

"Tenten and Lee now have the same seals that we do." Sasuke explained, waving his hand in the direction of the two unconsious Jinchuuriki. "Personally,_ I_ think that we have to make contact with our demons. I've talked with Shicibi, Naruto's talked with Kyuubi, Sakura's talked with Gobi. Now Tenten and Lee have talked to their demons. I don't think it has to do with life-or-death, but those are the only times you're willing to talk with your demons."

"H-he says _you're_ because we're haven't had to rely on something so scary before." Hinata said in a hushed voice, looking over at her cousin.

"I'm with Sasuke, but it doesn't hurt to try all our options." Sakura said in a cheerful voice as she moved closer to the other members of Team Guy to make sure they were okay.

"Done!" Naruto exclaimed, pulling the sticks out of the ground and handing them to the Jinchuuriki.


	18. Life in the Coral Reefs

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the characters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. Lmao.

* * *

_'__The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved.'_

_-Mother Teresa_

* * *

Hinata inspected her drawings critically, activating her Byakugan and inspecting Naruto's Seal so that she had every detail correct. Her pale eyes moved to Shikamaru and she nodded in satisfaction. Sakura leaned over her shoulder and pointed out the six circles and two lines on either side of the seal.

"So, basically those are the only differences?" She asked, a frown slipping onto her face as she looked at the pictures. "Hmm... it'll be hard to make the Rinnengan circle-things that precise, ne?"

Sasuke moved closer to them to look at the picture. After a moment, he nodded in agreement. "Yeah... What are we supposed to use to draw it on, anyway? Ink seems to be the only option. Though blood is what our regular Seals were drawn on with, right?" He asked, gently taking the drawing from the Hyuuga heiress and copying Sakura's frown.

They shrugged in response. A loud yelp caught their attention and their heads snapped in Team Guy's direction. Lee had bolted off the ground and was holding his stomach in pain, as if someone had jabbed him with a kunai. Neji looked bewildered, his eyes widening in confusion. Sakura wasted no time in running to the screaming Jinchuuriki and muttering soothing words. She managed to coax him to pull his hands away from his Seal, but he still looked as if he was in pain. Sakura pulled up the bottom of his shirt and inspected his seal, gesturing for Hinata - the least exhausted Hyuuga - to come over.

"Is there anything blocking his chakra? There aren't any physical wounds." Sakura told the younger girl gently, moving over so Hinata could kneel next to Lee's stomach.

"_Byakugan_!" Hinata cried, making the seal for tiger with her hands as her eyes darted over Lee's form. "Yeah, his....um, _blue _chakra and his teal chakra are flowing in different directions. They ran into each other and the teal is over-powering the blue."

"Can you fix it?" Sakura asked, glancing over her shoulder at Sasuke - who was used to how she healed people - as he dropped a bucket of water and some cloths next to her. She grabbed the top one and placed it on Lee's forehead, not bothering to wring it out first. "Don't worry, Lee, you're gonna be okay."

Hinata's hand darted out as she hit the green-clad shinobi's pressure points rapidly, using her chakra to unblock the points. She sighed lightly. "I fixed that block, but the teal chakra is still running backwards."

"What would case that?" Sasuke asked immediately, sitting next to Sakura as she used a piece of cloth to mop up the sweat on Lee's forehead.

The Hyuuga heiress shrugged but it was her cousin who answered. "I noticed that a few months ago, actually, but it didn't seem relevant. After you three got Nagato's Seal, your chakra started to move backwards, the opposite way that it usually does." Neji paused before explaining. "Shinobi's chakra runs counter-clockwise in the body. From your center, to your left leg, left arm, head, right arm, right leg. But it's backwards now. It can only mean that the demonic chakra flips everything around..."

"Why isn't Lee's flipping around?" Sakura asked half-heartedly, most of her attention focused on Lee as she tried to ease his pain a little.

"Because of _how_ he got the seal." Shikamaru told them from across the small fire as he watched them with a detached interest. "You all met your demon's by somewhat choice, and asked for their power. So, your fine. Lee, however, was _forced_ into the demon chakra. Your chakra's started to turn when you asked for the power, he wasn't given that chance."

The Jinchuuriki gaped at him, not sure where he got his knowledge from or why he seemed so sure of himself. Sasuke moved to Lee's other side, to help Sakura get Lee comfortable. Neji activated his Byakugan to help Hinata unblock - or try to turn around - Lee's chakra. Naruto stood up slowly and wandered over to the group around Lee.

"What do we do then?" The blond knucklehead asked in a strained voice as he stared at the groaning Shinobi.

No one answered him, because there was no answer they could give without lying. If Lee was going to survive, he would have to do it on his own and figure out a way to get the Sanbi to work _with _him, instead of against.

* * *

Lee wandered down the large, coral-lined corridor. He was slightly amazed at the multiple colors and species of coral that surrounded him but most of his attention was focused on the fact that he was definitely under water. His hair and cloths were gently floating around him, but he was breathing and walking as if he was on land. A large - about the size of his head - clown fish shot past him, barely ducking around him before disappearing around a corner. Lee sighed moodily and gazed around the underwater tunnels.

He was aware that what was happening wasn't actually _happening_ to him. In a sense that if he died here, he would be just fine. But even considering that, it was definitely not a dream. Just an alternate reality. Every now and again he felt something on his stomach, as if someone was occasionally poking him, but he was the only one there. He could also hear a set of voices every few minutes, like someone was far away but their voice carried back to them.

That was the reason he was wandering aimlessly in the maze-like coral. The voices. They must be walking too, and he kept following their echoing voices. Though he _was_ aware that they were getting louder. Either he was moving faster than they were or they had finally stopped.

Lee sighed to himself and sped up his pace, not wanting the voices to start moving again before he caught up. A school of fist-sized white fishes - he didn't know the name of - swam around him and disappeared out of sight.

Shaking his head, Lee turned the corner and gasped.

He had arrived in a large - and large was an understatement - chamber. Dozens of coral had shot down from the ceiling to create bar-like structures splitting the room in half. Floating directly behind the bars was a giant one-eyed turtle with three tails. It's red eye focused on Lee immediately and a deep throaty chuckle echoed around the room.

_**Ah, I've been wondering when you would arrive, human.**_ The giant turtle grunted, his eye flashing as if Lee had done him a personal wrong.

"Wha..." Lee flinched when his voice came out a few octaves higher than usual. He gulped nervously and tried again. "Me?"

_**Don't make it sound like I have any choice!**_ The turtle bellowed, it's three tails thrashing wildly behind it. _**I had no choice in any of this, human. Do not make that mistake. I am as much the victim in this as you are.**_

"You're the Sanbi!" Lee cried suddenly, realization flickering across his face. One of the three tails slammed into the coral floor, creating a quake but it didn't damage the cage. Lee stumbled backwards and fell on his behind with an undignified yelp. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I... I don't know what you want!"

_**Want?!**_ The Sanbi boomed, a wave of laughter echoing from its throat. _**What I **_**want**_** is not why you are here, human! It is what we **_**need**_**.**_

"Need?" Lee repeated in confusion, not bothering to stand up in case the Sanbi got mad again. "Why would our needs be the same thing?"

_**Life, you stupid human! If you die, my life will end as well!**_ Sanbi roared, moving closer to the bars so that its face was practically pressed against the coral.

"Wh.... How is my life at risk? I'm probably just sleeping or something. The others said that's when they contacted their demons most often." Lee told his demon, forcing himself not to talk to the large turtle like it was a child.

Sanbi snorted. _**No, human, you are unconscious. Our chakras are feuding for control of your body. Demonic chakra is stronger than human chakra, it must flow in the direction of the chakra core or the body will burn.**_ It snapped angrily, scaring away a large school of colourful fish.

"And human chakra doesn't flow clockwise?" Lee asked. Being in a team with a Hyuuga had it's advantages, such as knowing which way a chakra core flowed and which way human chakra flowed.

Sanbi choose to ignored that question and continue talking as if Lee hadn't interrupted it. _**The connection between you and I has been opened, my chakra is trying to force yours to move clockwise but yours will not move without the order from you.**_

"Uh, okay. Chakra, follow Sanbi's chakra." Lee commanded, hoping his voice help more confidence than he felt.

_**No!**_ Sanbi hissed out, glowering at him. _**You must use **_**my**_** chakra to **_**force**_** yours to change its flow.**_

"Huh?! How am I supposed to do that?!" Lee cried out in annoyance, not understanding why the demon had to be so difficult.

_**You must ask.**_ It replied, moving back slightly so it was farther from the coral bars as it observed Lee.

Lee frowned. He didn't understand what the Sanbi wanted him to do but he was to afraid to ask. He was also terrified to sit there and do nothing any longer in case the Sanbi started to get really pissed off. With a jolt, Lee realized that he could still hear the voices. They weren't very loud, he could make out a few words of course, but they were still fairly quiet. He frowned before opening his mouth.

"Sanbi, I ask... no, _demand_ that you give me your powers!" Lee yelled, snapping to his feet and glaring right back at the large demon turtle.

It was almost impossible to tell, but Lee was sure he saw Sanbi smile before a wave of blue-green chakra shot out from between the bars and engulfed him.

With a cry of pain...

...Lee shot off the ground. Sakura jumped out of the way just in time as his forehead soared where hers had been moments before. She crashed into Sasuke and they both toppled over, rolling into the lake. Hinata and Neji jumped back, they hands still held out in the Gentle Fist pose. Naruto glanced at Lee then hurried over to help his team-mates out of the water when he realized that the green-clad ninja was alright. Shikamaru's eyes remained locked on the few clouds above them, with a small smile on his face.

"After all I did for him, he goes and knocks me into a lake!" Sakura cried in annoyance letting Naruto pull her out of the water, dripping wet but fine nonetheless. Sasuke crawled out after her and wrung the water out of his cloths.

"Are you alright, Lee-san?" Hinata asked in a nervous voice as Lee gasped painfully in front of her.

He nodded and gulped, sending an apologetic smile at his Sasuke and Sakura. Neji sighed and leaned back into a crouch. Lee looked around the campsite, his eyes finally resting on Tenten. He simply sent a confused look at his other team-mate, not trusting his voice.

"She's just tired because she used her demon's chakra." Neji explained in a quiet voice as he gestured for Lee to lay back down. "We'll leaving at sunrise tommorrow so you two can sleep until then."

Lee nodded, laying back down and ignoring Naruto's comment about him not being able till then.


	19. Kouta

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the characters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. Lmao.

* * *

_'It is better to lose pride with the one you live,_

_than to lose the one you love because you your useless pride.'_

_-Unknown_

* * *

The group of nine Jinchuuriki quickly made their way through the forest, trying to reach the next town by nightfall in fear of sleeping another night on the ground. They hadn't spoken a single word since they left their campsite that morning, all of them were locked in their thoughts.

Naruto had his hands clasped behind his head casually as he tried to figure out an easy way to train while they moved from town to town. Sasuke and Sakura were walking at the back of the group, both were wary and trying to see through the dense foliage in case an enemy - namely the Akatsuki - tried to attack them. Team Guy were all trying to mentally estimate where they were, considering they didn't have any maps and the last landmark they passed was the large lake which had no distinguishing features except for how plain it was. Gaara's arms were crossed and his eyes were closed, ever so often he would frown as if something was bothering him - leading the others to believe he was having an argument with Ichibi. Hinata was walking behind Naruto with a soft smile on her face, as if they were merely looking for a good place to have a picnic. Shikamaru - as usual - had his head bent backwards and was trying to see the clouds through the branches.

Naruto was the first to stop as he gazed around the path. The others froze, their gazes darting around to try and find the reason Naruto stopped. Sakura slowly walked up to him, her mouth open to ask him what was wrong. She froze immediately, her eyes widening. Sasuke bolted up to his team-mates and stopped next to them, his eyes locked on the horrifying scene in front of them.

A fairly small village - with only a dozen or so homes - had been completely destroyed. The small buildings had been knocked down and burned, the town center looked like a bomb had been dropped on it. Bodies were laying in the streets - human and animals - the fields around the village were burned - with the few crops that were ready for harvest, stolen. There wasn't any sign of movement except for the occasional flickering fire or house crumbling.

The Jinchuuriki - except Gaara, who stared at the destruction with a detached expression - gaped at the horror of the scene. They could still smell the smoke and burning flesh that was the only reminder that probably only a few hours ago, this had been a village. Possibly one in poverty or one with a sickness, but at least the people were alive then.

Hinata fell to her knees with her hand covering her mouth as she stifled a sob. None of the others could move. Naruto's horrified expression slowly turned to one of pure rage as he glared down at the destruction.

"Who the hell would do something like this?" He asked, his voice coming out as no more than a snarl. "How could_ anyone_ do something like this?!"

No one answered him, they couldn't answer him. It was a question that no one knew the answer to. Sakura took a deep breath and starting clapping her hands together in numerous hand seals. In a dull voice, she muttered:

"Water style: Rain jutsu." Almost immediately, black clouds rolled in and water started pouring from the sky, dousing the flames. The smell of fire and burning flesh was replaced by fresh rain. Sakura shook her head slowly. "The very least we can do for these people is to bury them."

She started jogging down the small hill towards the village, the other Jinchuuriki following behind her without a word. Gaara used his sand to dig large pits for the graves, barely paying attention to what he was doing. Hinata had disappeared into the forest to pick flowers to put on the graves, so she wouldn't have to go near the bodies. Sasuke, Naruto and Lee were digging through the wreckage to see if there was anything they could use to make a sling out of to carry the bodies into the graves. Shikamaru and Neji were fitting together what they did find and were making sure they were secure. Tenten and Sakura were looking around to check for anything that could be of use to them, or things that the people might've wanted to be buried with.

"Who could do something like this, Sakura?" Tenten asked in a quiet voice as she gazed around at the destruction. Sakura's rain had washed away the fires and most of the blood, but the place was still horrible to look at. "Why could anyone want to do something like this?"

"I dunno, Tenten." Sakura said gently, her eyes flickering towards an old woman's body as they passed. "Maybe they wouldn't give some bandits their crops, or maybe they had something valuable and wouldn't give it to someone else. Maybe they simply wouldn't tithe to their lord."

Tenten laughed bitterly under her breath. "It's always about the money, huh?" She shook her head slowly. "I just don't understand why people like money is more valuable than human lives. It doesn't make any sense. I mean, we're all dirt poor but we're just fine with that."

Sakura nodded her agreement. "Yeah, it's ridiculous how something so simple can control people so easily. War, money, murder..." She shuddered and rubbed her upper arms. "It seems to be what the world revolves around..."

"But, look around you! These people couldn't have deserv-"

"Shh." Sakura hissed, flicking a kunai out and holding it in front of her. Tenten froze but copied Sakura, to nervous to ask what she heard.

The pink-haired kunoichi edged towards - what appeared to be - an old tool shed. The ceiling had been burned off and one wall had been destroyed, but the opposite wall had collapsed and covered the building except for a gaping hole closest to the two women. Sakura used the tip of her kunai to move a large board out of her way when she heard movement inside the shed again. Tenten stiffened as the sound reached her ears this time, as well. Taking a deep breath, Sakura moved closer to the opening a peered inside. She froze immediately and Tenten hurried over. They both gasped.

* * *

Sasuke handed Neji an long piece of wood about the width of his arm before climbing back into the pile of burnt materials - some of which he didn't even _want_ to know what it used to be. Naruto paused his work and glanced over his shoulder, Sasuke copied him. Tenten had raced by them a few minutes earlier and was now running back with an old cloak draped over her shoulder and a bucket of water.

The two team-mates exchanged glances before rushing out of the remnants of the old house and after Tenten. Neji and Shikamaru ignored them in favour of fixing their sling.

Naruto and Sasuke followed her down numerous streets - they didn't remember the village having this many - and they were starting to get afraid that she was lost when she pulled to a stop next to what appeared to be a collapsed tool shed. As they got closer, they could see Sakura was leaning into the hollow space with her arms hanging inside. They could hear her murmuring soothing words to someone the closer they got.

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked Tenten in confusion as he watched his team-mate reach farther into the shed. He resisted the urge to tell her to be careful and to remind her that it could collapse at any minute.

As if reading his mind, Sakura started to pull herself out of the empty space, but her arms were wrapped around a small bundle. Sasuke and Naruto's breath caught in their throats when they realized what it was.

Or what _he_ was.

Sakura stood up straight with a small boy - six or seven years old - cradled in her arms. He had dirty blond hair that was covered in black ashes and wood chips. He was wrapped in what appeared to be an older man's shirt, but they could still see his ratty cloths under it. The left side of his face and his left arm were covered in burn marks. From the looks of it, Sakura had saved his life by putting the fire out when she did. The boy was soaking wet.

The pink-haired kunoichi gently laid him on the ground as her hands were covered in the greenish glow. The boy yelped in surprise, not used to a medics healing.

"Shhh, don't worry. I won't hurt you, little man. I'm just gonna make the hurt go away, alright?" Sakura asked in a quiet voice, her eyes pleading with him to let her heal him. He nodded weakly, though tears started flowing down his cheeks as if he was terrified of them. "My name's Sakura. What's yours?"

He didn't answer her, keeping his lips pressed together in a tight line. Sakura sighed but didn't say anything as she continued healing him. Sasuke knelt next to Sakura, so he could watch her heal the little boy. The burnt skin was slowly healing, so it looked at least a week old, then two weeks, then three. When Sakura let her hands drop back to her sides, the sun had almost set. The boy had fallen asleep - healings could be exhausting for the patient, even if someone as skilled as Sakura was the medic. The only way to tell that he had most of his left side burned off, was a scar running across his shoulder blade. Sakura leaned back and grinned at them.

"Can we keep him?"

* * *

"Absolutely not." Neji decided, sitting down on a large log as Gaara pushed the dirt back into the last grave. His pale eyes glowered at Sakura and the sleeping child in her arms. "We barely have enough supplies to keep ourselves alive, there's no way we can baby-sit this little brat, too."

"Why do you have to be such a downer, Hyuuga?" Sakura asked, using his last name so he knew how angry she was at him.

"His entire village was destroyed, Neji. He doesn't have anyone else. He'll _die_ if we leave him here." Tenten cried desperately, her eyes pleading with Neji to understand.

"We can't, Tenten. No supplies means that he'll starve with us anyway." He shot back, turning his glare on his team-mate. "Anyways, he'll only be put at risk if we take him with us, right? The Akatsuki will destroy anyone who's had contact with us."

"No one said that he'll stay with us for long. We just have to take him to the next village or someone who'll look after him, okay? It'd be stupid to take such a little kid along with us, right?" Sasuke responded, peering over at the tiny boy in Sakura's lap.

Suddenly, the boy jerked awake, his eyes snapping around the Jinchuuriki - not that he knew what they were, of course. With a surprised yelp, he frantically looked around the campsite for an escape route.

"Shh, don't worry, little guy, we won't hurt you!" Sakura said quickly, letting him jump out of her lap and rush over to the tree line - so that his back was pressed against a tree and he could see them all. "We're here to help you."

"Who are you people?" He asked in terror, the whites showing all the way around his eyes.

No one answered him immediately, but Naruto inched closer to the shivering boy. "We're ninja from Konoha."

"Liar!" The boy yelled, his terror turning to anger. "None of you are wearing headbands! You're the people who attacked my village, aren't you?!"

"No, we came across it afterwards, we even buried the dead for you." Tenten offered weakly, gesturing at the villages remains.

"Don't you remember? We found you in that shed and I healed you." Sakura added, moving closer to him so she was sitting next to Naruto. The little boy's eyes locked on hers, realization dawning on his face. "Let's try this again, my name's Sakura. Do you have a name?"

He nodded slowly, still staring at her in confusion. "Yes... My name is Kouta."


	20. The boy of peace

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the characters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. Lmao.

_'There is no way to peace, peace is the way.'_

_-A.J. Muste_

Over night, Kouta had become more friendly to the nine Jinchuuriki - not that he knew they had demon's inside them, of course - not that he trusted them or anything, but he would carry on a conversation with them for a while before drifting off into his own world. From what they gathered, his father had told him to get some tools from their shed when his village was attacked. He didn't know who attacked or why - though they figured he must have had some idea and was probably lying - and he just stayed in the shed the entire time. For some reason, he had attached himself to Sakura and was always directly behind her, beside her, or holding her hand.

Sasuke and Sakura headed towards the nearest stream - as the others set up camp - with Kouta trailing behind them. They sat next to the river and peered into the water.

"You know, I really hate fish duty." Sakura remarked, glaring as a large fish jumped out from the other side the river.

"I really hate Hinata and her stupid chore chart." Sasuke countered, rolling his eyes as he grabbed their hand-made fishing rod - a long stick with some iron cord tied at the end of it. "I mean, I get why we need it, but it gets on my nerves."

"Ditto." Sakura responded, pulling out the second pole. She examined the knot at the end before grabbing a dead bug and threading it onto the cord.

They both tossed their lines into the water and sat back. Kouta edged closer to the water, with a sharp stick in his hand as if waiting for something to jump out and attack him. A few moments later, his hand darted forward and splashed in the water.

"Hey, you'll scare the fish away!" Sasuke cried in shock, not understanding why the quiet little boy would purposely ruin their dinner.

Sakura's eyes widened when he pulled the stick out of the water. "Whoa..."

Speared on the tip on his mini spear was a large fish, one that was about the size of Kouta's head. He pulled it off the stick and held it out to the two members of Team Kakashi with a warm smile.

Sasuke burst out laughing as he accepted the fish. "Does this mean your going to help us, little guy?" He asked, dropping the giant fish into the bucket they had brought with them.

Kouta shook his head but moved closer to the water. "I'm not little." He corrected, his arm darting forward as he speared another fish. "I'm ten."

Sasuke and Sakura exchanged glances. Of all the ages they would have guess, anything over eight would have been pushing it for this little kid. He was puny for his age. Sakura yelped in surprise as a fish yanked on her line. Kouta looked over at them, his mouth opening and closing as if he debating asking them a question. Sasuke sent him a questioning look but Sakura's attention was focused on the fish she was fighting.

"Um... You guys... you're ninjas?" Kouta pointed out, gesturing at Sasuke and Sakura's weapon holders. He paused before continuing. "None of you are wearing headbands. My village wasn't small enough for us not to know that ninjas wear headbands.... every ninja that isn't a rogue, at least..."

"Hey, we're just bringing you to the next village that's all that matters right now." Sasuke told him, leaning over to help Sakura yank the fish onto the shore.

Kouta shook his head. "That's not what I was going to ask." He responded in a quiet voice. "See, I'm adopted. My parents found me as a baby near the village's river and took care of me. They're sure that my family were ninjas cause I have a higher chakra level than most of my village does. I can throw knives and they land where I want them to, I stood on water once - only for a few seconds though..."

Sakura looked over at him in confusion, dropping the fish into their bucket. "What does any of that have to do with us no longer belonging to a village?" She asked, her eyes flickering towards Sasuke when realization dawned on his face.

"He knows that that we're running from something, a dangerous something, and he wants us to know that he's skilled at a few basic ninja arts. Because he wanted us to teach him how to be a ninja." Sasuke paused before adding. "Though I don't think it's to protect yourself. Is it, kid?"

Kouta frowned and shook his head. "If you teach me how to fight, I'll tell you how to find the Akatsuki!" He cried desperately, leaning forward as tears spilled from his eyes.

The two stiffened immediately, staring at the small child in disbelief. They didn't move for what felt like ages before Sakura managed to find her voice.

"What did you just say?" She asked, her voice no longer holding the warm tone she used with the boy.

"The Akatsuki. They were the ones who attacked our village. I could hear them talking from the shed. They said they were looking for a buncha people who sounded a lot like you guys. When I first saw you all, I thought that you might just be travellers but a pink-haired girl isn't something you see everyday so you must be who they were looking for! They thought you were hiding in our village because they last saw you around there. I knew you weren't bad guys if you were running from a buncha bad people like them!" He cried, dropping his spear-stick as he knelt onto the grass in front of them and pressed his forehead to the ground. "Please. I know you're going to fight them and I know I'll only get in the way. But _please_ I wanna learn how to at least fight with the basics so something like this will never happen to me again! _Please_!"

"Listen, kid, normally I'd have no problem taking you to Konoha so you could train there under proper supervision. But, this isn't exactly normal circumstances. We can't bring you back there cause we'll put our village in danger if we do." Sasuke said, his eyes flickering towards Sakura for help.

"Yeah, we're kind of in the middle of, um... a... mission of major importance, I guess. See, if we took the time to train you - or even bring you to a good ninja village - things'd be dangerous for you. And us, I guess, but we don't want to get you hurt so..." Sakura added quickly, waving her hands defensively.

"Besides, you're too young to start training to be a ninja." Sasuke finished, looking around for something to change the subject. He grabbed the bucket of fish and stood up. "End of discussion."

Sakura quickly scrambled after him, grabbing the two fishing rods on her way. Kouta frowned but kept his mouth closed as he followed them. Sakura fell into step with Sasuke, glancing warily over her shoulder at the small kid.

"Are you sure that was okay. Sasuke?" She asked in a hushed voice, so the Kouta couldn't hear her. "I mean, if someone told you that you couldn't become a ninja after what happened-"

"Don't bring my past into this, Sakura." His voice remained neutral, but she could see that his jaw had tightened and the whites were showing on his knuckles. She had touched a sore spot. "I left that behind when I went back to Konoha with you and _taka_."

"Sorry, sorry." She said half-heartedly as she waved her hand airily. "But, think about it, Sasuke. I mean, I know that he'll be put at major risk, but still. When the Akatsuki find out that they missed someone - and they _will_ - he's gonna be in danger anyway, right?"

"Then we'll just have to bring him somewhere that's hard to find." Sasuke hissed back, his gaze flickering towards her momentarily. He sighed before adding. "I'm sorry, Sakura. I know you feel bad for him, but you can't save everyone. If we hadn't come along, he'd have died anyway."

"That's just my point, Sasuke." She responded, desperation creeping into her voice. "Yeah, I've seen plenty of people killed before. Kids, adults, even animals. I've even killed a few, whatever. But, _I_ saved that kid's life. When I pulled him out of the building he told me that I should've just let him die. He probably doesn't even remember saying it. But, I ignored him and healed his wounds and now he's stuck in this world alone. Don't you get it? It's my fault that he's alone and weak and-"

"Sakura, don't tell me that you're mad at yourself for saving that kids life." He asked, turning to look at her in disbelief. "You're a medic, it's your job to heal people and no ones angry at you for doing that job."

"He is." She said in a quiet voice - so that she almost sounded like Hinata. "And the least we can do is to teach him how to take care of himself."

Sasuke sighed deeply, his eyes turning up to the tree branches above them. "I'm sorry, Sakura. But the best we can do is to leave him somewhere safe, like with someone we really trust, and then start training him or take him to Konoha when the Akatsuki have perished."

Sakura nodded weakly, her eyes visibly dulling. "I know, I just feel bad that we can't do anything to help him. Even if we take him to someone we trust, he'll still be alone...." She frowned in confusion before her expression physically brightened. "Hey!"

Kouta and Sasuke jumped, both stopping in their places at her sudden outburst.

"A safe place that we trust! I know _just_ the place! I'd trust her with my life!" Sakura spun around and knelt in front of Kouta, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Okay, I promise you that I'll personally train you in the ways of a ninja. But, I can't just yet. See, the Akatsuki are _really_ dangerous and - even though I have to doubt we can take them - I don't want to put you in any more danger than you already are. Until the Akatsuki threat has been eliminated, I'm gonna need you to stay with a really good friend of mine.

"She's really nice and she'll make sure you're safe until I can start training you." She said gently, smiling warmly over at the small boy. "I'm even sure if you asked really nicely she'd start training you with the basic ninja training. If she does agree to start training you, you'll probably be one of the strongest Shinobi of your age. And I promise you that when I'm finished with this mission, I'll train you. If you still want me to, that is."

Kouta nodded rapidly, excitement flashing across his face. "R-really?! You'll train me? I mean, of course I guessed that you'd need to defeat the Akatsuki first before training me, but I just assumed I'd stay with you. This is really cool! I mean, I'll be able to get trained by a really powerful person, even _before_ you guys train me!" He said with a huge grin spreading across his face. He jumped forward and wrapped his arms around Sakura's neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, _thank you so much_!"

Sakura laughed and grinned over at Sasuke. He merely frowned at her. "Just who is this 'really powerful person?'"

Sakura tilted her head to look over at him. "Well, my Onee-chan, of course." She said before adding. "Konan."


	21. Uchiha Encounter

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the characters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. Lmao.

_'Never fear shadows. They simply mean there's a light shining somewhere nearby.'_

_Ruth E. Renkel._

Sakura woke up slowly, her eyes snapping around the campsite for what had awoken her - or if it was all in her head. When she was sure that nobody was going to jump out at her from the bushes or from a tree, she sat up carefully. The pink-haired kunoichi's eyes rested on her brother - who was supposed to be the night watch - as he snored gently. With a shake of her head she grabbed her canteen and quietly made her way out of the ring of sleeping bodies, heading towards the river.

With a sigh, she crouched down next to the stream and watched the water flow past her for a few moments before dunking her canteen in. She almost let out a yelp and dropped her canteen when her skin touched the freezing water. Biting her lip, Sakura waited until water and filled the container before pulling it out of the river and taking a few sips of it.

She was completely aware of the presence that was moving towards her - and she had already identified the source - but made no move to run. If she tried to get _away_ from this person, they'd either shoot her down instantly or go after her friends - who were currently short one night watch. This was the safest option. For everyone. Sakura sighed again, straightened her back and turned around.

Tobi - or Madara - stood before her, his hands clasped tightly behind his back with his legs spread apart - ready to attack, if he needed to. Sakura forced a polite smile on her face and bowed her head slightly in greeting.

"Nice to see you again, Madara." She greeted lightly, keeping her tone neutral and making sure that her smile never reached her eyes.

He nodded back. "I see more of you have been cursed by Nagato since the last time we conversed." Madara stated, shrugging his shoulder in the direction of her campsite to indicate the other Jinchuuriki. "Though, I must ask, how much longer do you plan to pursue such a futile quest?"

"Futile quest?" Sakura asked with a frown spreading across her face. "I don't believe I know what you mean. The other Jinchuuriki and I aren't on any futile quest, though we are looking for a way to utterly destroy the Akatsuki. But, that can't be what you mean... I can guarantee that we will succeed, so it can't be considered futile."

Madara's shoulders quivered, as if he were silently chuckling. Though he didn't loosen up or drop his ready position. He shook his head slowly. "That is why the Akatsuki exists, Sakura, because of people like you." His face - or mask - turned back to look at her. His Sharingan was swirling beneath the orange-colored mask and his body was radiating rage. "Because people like you do not understand that not every problem can be taken out with violence, because people like you don't understand something unless you beat them down repeatedly, because people like you don't understand that a _single _entity should rule everything, because you don't understand that with split countries war will continue."

She wasn't stupid, she had immediately honed on Madara's single slip up and grabbed on to it. "I don't, or people like me don't?" Sakura asked, referring to his last sentence when he had said 'you' instead of referring to those like her. Madara flinched causing her to smirk. "All that sounds good to me... on paper. In theory, one ruler would nullify the war effect, but that's not reality. I've heard what you know about the Uchiha Clan, what happened in Rain, and I know the basis behind all the Ninja Wars. Your theory... it can't possibly work. People _need_ someone to direct their anger at. A Konoha Ninja could have had a horrible day, when he gets home he blames it all on the Cloud Ninja and how they intercepted an important Leaf package.

"If the nations become one, who will he have to blame?" She asked rhetorically, continuing before Madara could jump in. "Think about it. When he gets home, he might start a fight with his neighbours or friends, worst case scenario he'd attack his wife. Anger builds up in every human, it's our nature and part of free will."

Madara chuckled again, Sakura was sure that he was grinning inside the mask. "You just explained my theory in greater perspective, Sakura." He unclasped his hand and shrugged. "Free will is what's wrong with humans. If they didn't have free will, they wouldn't attack everything that angered them, they wouldn't war. If they had a single leader - a God - to look up to... who would fight? People of the same religion or social standing automatically join together because of their bond, it's only a simple matter of finding one thing that everyone can agree on."

"Alright, so you want control of everything, whatever. The fact is that all your trying to do is take away people's humanity so they won't question you - or the Akatsuki, for that matter. You're not trying to give them a common bond, you're killing the only thing that makes us human." She told him, ice coating her words as she glowered at him dangerously.

"_Us_?" He repeated in confusion, as if he didn't understand the word. "Sakura, you and your little group of guerrillas have _never_ been human. You're demons that were only made to be used as weapons, to serve the goals of your masters."

"Perhaps that's why we had demons sealed within us, but we weren't _created_ to become Demon Containers. We are what we make ourselves to be. And you know what? All of us are making ourselves heroes, _we_ will be the ones to change the course of our world and it will be for the better. Not for whatever twisted world you created." Sakura snapped at him, her green eyes flashing dangerously at him.

He shook his head again. "There is a storm brewing, Sakura. You can either be at the eye of it or one of the places it is heading. Your _humanity_," He spat out the word as if it burned his mouth, "is leading you towards the latter, _that_ is your precious free will." He turned, about to leave, before pausing. "Why are you caring for that boy, Sakura? He is nothing to your world."

"Perhaps not, but someone loved him enough to give away_ their_ world so he'd be safe." She told him, narrowing her eyes at him. "It'd be rude to disrespect their last wishes and leave him alone."

Madara turned around to look at her. "Is that the only reason?"

She hesitated before answering. "No... When I saw him crying in that shed... I dunno, I felt bad for him. One minute everything was normal for him and the next he was burning alive in an old shed with his family dead." She shrugged and turned to head back to her campsite. "He really reminded me of a close friend of mine and I couldn't leave him alone..."

"Why are you heading in this direction?" He asked suddenly, without moving from his place at the tree line. "If I recall, Cloud doesn't exactly hold good memories for you."

"No, it doesn't. But my happiness is nothing compared to our safety." She continued walking, completely aware that when the last word left her mouth Madara had vanished as if he had never been there at all.

The instant his presence vanished, Sakura pumped her legs so she was racing back to the campsite at a near sprint. She pulled to a stop when the first sleeping Shinobi came into view and she fell to her knees beside her team-mates form.

"Sasuke, wake up. Come on, get up." She hissed, grabbing his shoulders and jerking him off the ground.

His eyes flew open and he shot into a sitting position, his forehead barely missing Sakura's ear. "What? Is it my turn for watch?"

"No, Sasuke, we have to go _now_." Sakura said urgently, racing over to the small blanket she had been sleeping on and where her equipment still lay - her heart was still pounding from her encounter with the Akatsuki's leader and it was just dawning on her how stupid she was to leave her weapons her.

"Why? What's wrong?" Although his voice was curious and he sounded worried, Sasuke started to shove things into his backpack and placing his weapons back in their places.

"They found us, the Akatsuki. We have to get out of here before they decide to attack." She told him quickly, zipping up her backpack as she turned to see how many Jinchuuriki were still sleeping.

"Ah, don't worry, Sakura-chan. We out number them, we'll win." Lee said lazily, clasping his hands behind his head and leaning back casually.

The three members of Team Kakashi - who were now wide awake - glowered over at him. "Oh, and how many Akatsuki have you fought, Lee?" Sasuke asked, the glare never leaving his expression. "The only Akatsuki you've ever seen was between us three and the Zombie twins. _Three_ Jinchuuriki had to fight with _one_ Akatsuki, while you _nine_ held off another. We _can't_ fight the remaining Akatsuki unless it's all of us against one."

Lee shifted uncomfortably but Neji was the one who spoke next. "We got reports that Sakura was able to kill Deidara and Sasori with only one other humans help. If _she_ is that strong why aren't those with higher tails stronger than the Akatsuki?"

"Sakura has been trained by the Akatsuki for most of her life, she knows how they operate, how they fight, what their weaknesses are. _I_ have been trained by Orochimaru in much the same training. If anything, me and her would be the only ones who could stand a chance against the remaining Akatsuki one-on-one and even then we probably wouldn't even win." Sasuke shot back, slinging his backpack over his shoulder with his narrowed eyes locked on Neji's calm pale ones. "We _can't_ survive if we have to protect those of you who can't even access your demonic chakra. We'll all die if we don't leave _now_."

He turned to look at Sakura before continuing. "How far away is your friend?" He asked, nodding in Kouta's direction so that she'd know who he was talking about without making it obvious to the others - neither of them had told the Jinchuuriki of their plans and neither were about to.

Sakura shook her head slowly. "Not close enough. We'll have to go somewhere else for the time being." She responded slowly, mentally estimating the distance between their rough location and Konan's house.

"Damn, I was just hoping to drop Kouta off and keep going. Whatever, let's go, I know someone around here that'll let us hide out for a while." He said, gesturing for them to follow him. "Let's go."


	22. The Battle Begins

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the characters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. Lmao.

_It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer._

_-Albert Einstein._

Sakura lay on the white bed mat, staring at the ceiling above her. She was aware that Tenten and Hinata - the two she was sharing a room with - had fallen asleep hours ago. They had all been exhausted when they travelled to the Uchiha Secret Supply Shop - although that wasn't an accurate name for it, the 'cat people' wouldn't accept their money - but she hadn't been able to sleep when they reached it. Her mind was working in overdrive, filled with facts she knew about the Akatsuki or just things that had happened recently.

The Jinchuuriki were safe as long as they stayed at the Supply Shop, but the second they left the Akatsuki would attack. That was a fact, the only fact she knew was definite to them at this point. Itachi would know of this place, and he'd know that this would be the place Sasuke would take them to. He would wait, though, until they left. They _might_ risk going to a nearby village to stock up for the battle that would take place, but they probably wouldn't.

Konan - the only person who could protect Kouta from them - was too far away from their current location. If they tried running out of the Supply Store, they wouldn't even make it half way before the Akatsuki caught up with them. If they got someone to take Kouta to her while the others distracted them, that'd leave the Jinchuuriki at an even bigger disadvantage than they would be. Their only hope was that Madara only sent a few - meaning one or two - after them, or else they'd all be taken and killed. That was highly unlikely.

They could hope that the other Jinchuuriki would get Nagato's Seal so they'd have a fair battle, but even then they'd loose. The Jinchuuriki stayed unconscious for almost a day after they gained the seal, so they'd still be at a disadvantage. It'd be even worse for them, though, because the others wouldn't be able to defend themselves _at all_, which made them even harder to protect.

Sakura sighed deeply as she sat up slowly, careful not to make any sounds so her two companions could continue to sleep. The others were sure that the Akatsuki wouldn't know about this place so they were relaxed, which was just what they wanted. Sasuke probably knew that the Akatsuki - Itachi, at the very least - knew about the Supply Shop.

Which meant that he was the only one who'd be able to help her.

Quietly, using her chakra to mask any noise she made, Sakura slipped out of the night gown the cat people had given her to wear and back into her normal cloths with the light cloak the cat people made for her - and the other Jinchuuriki, of course. She grabbed her backpack and hurried from the room, closing the door silently behind her. Walking down the hall, she was suddenly glad that the cat people had shown them where the others were sleeping, though it had been annoying that they were the last room in the hallway at the time. Sakura gently eased open the door to Sasuke, Naruto and Kouta's room. She could see her brother's form splayed out - as if he had landed there from someplace high up - and the loud snore echoing from his direction. Kouta was curled up in a ball in the corner of the room. The reason she had gone there - Sasuke - was leaning against the window sill but his attention was focused on her. Sakura gestured for him to follow her into the hallway. He complied without question.

When the door was closed behind him, Sakura looked him directly in the eye. "I assume you've figured out our problem?"

Sasuke nodded immediately. "Of course. We can't defeat the Akatsuki on our own. You and me will probably be able to defeat Itachi, Naruto and Lee could take Kisame, Tenten and the other _might _be able to distract Zetsu. But if Madara is helping, which he probably will be, we might as well march out there with out hands above our heads and flying the white flag." He said, shrugging casually as if he hadn't just told her that they were doomed but simply commented on the weather. "Not to mention no one will be able to protect Kouta while we're fighting."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking, so our first goal should be Kouta's safety." She responded thoughtfully, her eyes flickering towards the door beside them. "We dragged him into this, it won't be fair if he dies because of it."

He frowned. "What did you have in mind?"

Sasuke stepped into the large meeting room, taking a deep breath before walking to the front of the group. He'd have a lot of explaining to do and it'd be his job to make sure everyone remained calm with he did so.

"Sasuke, where's Imouto?" Naruto asked in confusion, looking around the room for Sakura - who usually took point when explaining things to the others.

"Sakura..." Sasuke started before pausing, his mind racing ahead to try and figure out a way to explain it to them. "She knew there was no way for us to win this fight and that the only way the world would be saved was if one of us left. They wouldn't be able to leave with more than one person, so she simply took Kouta and left."

Everyone immediately jumped up, yelling at him in disbelief.

"No way that Sakura would just leave us here!"

"She wouldn't abandon us like that?!"

"Quit lying to us, teme!"

"Sakura wouldn't do something like that!"

Sasuke sat down, letting them continue their angry tirade of curses and yelled arguments. He pulled a bowl towards him and spooned some rice in. Anger was just like some kinds of fire, he'd just have to wait for it to burn itself out. When they finally calmed down, he looked back to them.

"Listen, we can sit around all day and trash talk how irresponsible it was for Sakura to leave us like that, or we can get ready for this fight." Sasuke stood up, looking every Jinchuuriki in the eye before continuing. "I don't know about you, but I'm not going down without a fight. And - worst come to worst - I'll even kill myself so that the Akatsuki'll never get a hold of my demon. It's all we can do, but we'll only use it as a last resort. True, one of our strongest fighters isn't with us. True, some of the people we have left can't even access their demonic chakra. But, we can still win this."

"Are you kidding, Sasuke? We barely stood a chance with Sakura _here_!" Tenten snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously in his direction. "She ran away. Sakura never runs from fights, it must mean that there's no possibility _at all_ that we can win or she wouldn't have run!"

"No? It might just mean that she's protecting Kouta!" Naruto snapped back, unwilling to accept that his sister would just abandon them. "If you haven't noticed, he's gone to!"

"If that was the case then she would have told us, at the very least!" Lee shot back, annoyance flashing across his face. "Besides that, how'd _you_ know that Sakura left."

Sasuke reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, he tossed it on the table. A neat, handwritten paragraph was written across the page.

_'I took Kouta, I'm sorry. We dragged him into this and I couldn't let him die because of it. Anyways, it's better if the Akatsuki don't get _all _of us and I can hide better than all of you, so I'm the best choice to leave. They won't be able to take _all_ your demons, so I'll try to free the rest of you when things settle down. I'm sorry for those of you who won't make it, but this is for the best.'_

_-S.H._

No one spoke for what felt like hours as they stared at the note in horror. Hinata started sobbing helplessly into her hand before Naruto spoke up.

"I can't believe it... This... I mean, it..." His voice trailed off, his cerulean eyes focused entirely on his sisters handwriting.

"We're going to have to start getting ready, _now_." Sasuke told them, making sure his holsters were secure to his leg and waist. "The Elder Cat Woman will provide us with anything we'll need. Weapons, equipment, whatever. We'll start the battle in one hour, everyone better be ready by now."

"What if the rest of us want to run, too?" Shikamaru asked, leaning forward so that his arms were crossed on the table in front of him. "Do we still have that option?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Night was your only chance, the Akatsuki didn't think we'd leave that soon after coming here." He paused before adding quickly. "Though we wouldn't have been able to leave then, either, they'd notice if all of us packed up and left."

Naruto swore under his breath and stood up, turning around so he could start pacing near the wall. Tenten, Neji and Lee - the three oldest - started looking through their weapons so they could replace anything that was broken or missing. Hinata's sobbing grew louder as the dire situation dawned on all of them. Shikamaru and Sasuke started to take strategy, talking about weaknesses and strengths as well as possible decoys. Gaara left the room, anger flashing across his face momentarily as he passed through the doorframe.

Exactly an hour later, the group of eight Jinchuuriki was found standing in a large field fairly close to the Supply Shop. They could sense the Akatsuki's chakra presence just behind the tree lines - which was confirmed by Neji and Hinata moments later - though they made no move to attack. Each ninja had replaced their worn weapons or redrawn their scrolls. Sasuke had placed cloth bands on his wrists, with symbols drawn on so that whenever he activated them a Shuriken would pop out. Naruto had the Toad Scroll tied to his back, so that he wouldn't have to waste time remembering the specific seal to summon the Boss Toad. Gaara, Hinata, Shikamaru and Neji were standing behind the main group, ready to throw weapons, attacks or anything they could to help their companions.

After a few minutes of standing silently, the Akatsuki stepped outside the tree line. Their black cloaks were slowly shifting around them from an weak breeze. None of them held weapons, but their shoulders were tense and all of them were obviously ready for a fight. Even though they would undoubtedly win, there was no question that they would loose a few members.

Madara's eyes scanned the group of Jinchuuriki. "Ah, I see that our little cherry blossom has fled." He paused, smugness radiating off of his body. "Though I must wonder why the others haven't ran, she is obviously the smartest of the group. Why would they not follow her lead?"

"Perhaps she abandoned them." Itachi suggested in a monotone, watching the groups movements warily. "It is good to see you haven't gotten yourself killed yet, Otouto."

"I think that'd be my line, Itachi." Sasuke responded in the same tone of voice as he kept his tone neutral.

"Shall we begin, then?" Kisame asked with a huge grin as he readjusted Samehada on his back. "I'm getting tired of everyone talking before they fight. Now, who am I going to fight?"

"That'd be us." Naruto declared, gesturing to himself and Sasuke. "And I gotta agree, talk is bull. Fighting is the only way we can finish this."

"Then, by all means, let us begin!" Madara called, spreading his arms to encircle the group in front of him.

Sakura rushed through the trees with Kouta wrapped in her arms, she was aware that the battle had started with her friends but she only pushed herself farther. She needed to get away from the battle. She needed to get Kouta away from danger. She needed to get Houkou away from the fighting. She wouldn't let them take her demon. She wouldn't let them take her life. She wouldn't let them take Kouta.

She needed to get to Konan, the only one who could help her save the small child wrapped in her arms.


	23. Sealed Jinchuuriki

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the characters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. Lmao.

Sasuke ducked under Samehada's blade, mentally cursing how long it took for Naruto to get his Rasengan ready - _why _couldn't he just learn to summon it without making a kage bushin first? The blue shark man grumbled under his breath, when he saw the blue chakra sphere appearing in the blonde's hand. Sasuke waited, using his katana - pressed against Kisame's blade - to make sure the shark man wouldn't disappear before Naruto summoned his attack. He waited, watching the glazed reflection in Kisame's yellow shark eyes.

He jumped when Naruto became a distinct form, his team-mate's hand slamming into their foe right below Sasuke's feet. They landed side-by-side, waiting for the dust to clear. Sasuke sent Naruto a questioning look, but he just shook his head. Kisame must've held his Samehada up at the last second to absorb the impact and most of his chakra.

Sasuke took that moment to look around the other fights. Zetsu - undoubtedly the weakest of the Akatsuki - was merely playing with Hinata, Shikamaru, Neji and Gaara, his green and white halves had split apart so that it broke up the four un-sealed Jinchuuriki's powers even more. Neji was fighting Itachi - though fighting wasn't a good word, it was more like he was waiting for someone else to finish their fight so they could help him. Tenten and Lee were no better, though they were fighting the strongest Akatsuki it seemed Madara was waiting for someone to finish their fight - namely Sasuke, or perhaps waiting to see if Sakura returned - and was holding them off.

He shook his head slowly, ever aware of the piece of paper in his pocket - as he had re-read it many times and consequentially memorized the words - though he forced his mind back to the present. Sakura couldn't help them now. They had relied on her far too much, asking her about Jinchuuriki or Akatsuki facts, weaknesses, strengths… this battle would be good for all of them - if they survived, that is - so they could see how well they functioned without someone to give them inside information. Character building, or at least that's what Sasuke told himself.

The dust finally cleared to show Kisame - if anything - better off than he had been before Naruto hit him. Both Team Kakashi members bit back a growl, forcing back their anger as they tried to calm themselves. Anger would not help in their fight. It wouldn't help one bit.

Gaara watched the fight warily. Hinata, Shikamaru and himself were all fighting to the extent of their abilities, though they weren't leaving a scratch - even though they were fighting the weakest of the Akatsuki, who was apparently playing with them more than fighting. Shikamaru had lost it only moments earlier, resorting to throwing a rock at the white half of the Aloe Vera- looking creature. His gaze travelled to the Sealed Jinchuuriki - as they were prone to call them - and the multiple tails swishing warily behind them. He had only transformed once - though that was more than the three he was battling with could say - and Ichibi took over without a problem, he almost killed Sasuke and Sakura and would have if Naruto hadn't been there - though the other two were exponentially stronger than their team-mate now.

But, how had they found transforming so simple? True, Naruto had lost control of the Kyuubi more times than any of them liked to count, and Sakura had transformed at every full moon until she connected with Gobi - as far as the Kazekage knew, Sasuke had naturally controlled Shichibi. Tenten and Lee had gained controlled of their demons already - though it caused Lee more problems than Tenten - so why couldn't he? Clearly, he was a stronger Shinobi than they were - being a Kage class - so why hadn't he achieved Nagato's Seal yet? Did it have to do with tails? No. Tenten only had one more tail than he did and had gained her advanced Seal. What other factors could there be, though…?

"_I just told the stupid demon, he lives in _my_ body so I'm taking his chakra as rent."_ Naruto had told the Jinchuuriki once when they were sitting around the campfire for supper.

According to Shikamaru, however, the basic theory was simple. The demon's chakra and mind were intertwined - like in most beings - and it was next to impossible to take more than half of someone's chakra without taking some of their mind as well. The demon's minds were significantly stronger than any humans, so they took control when they had built up a certain amount of mind in their host. Nagato's Seal acted as a filter of sorts, letting the chakra in but keeping the mind out.

So all Gaara had to do was create his own filter.

'_Ichibi, I order you to give me your chakra immediately.' _Gaara commanded, using his 'kage voice' - the deeper, more commanding voice that he used when ordering his people out for missions or telling his siblings to leave him alone. A voice that demanded respect and attention.

_**And if I refuse…?**_ The one-tailed tanuki's sadist voice drawled from somewhere deep inside Gaara's mind.

'_If you refuse, these people will kill me which will lead to your death.'_ Gaara shot back immediately. _'You are staying in my body, I command you give me your powers.'_

_**My, my, do you really think you can control me, boy? After what happened last time, I'd think you'd be less willing to submit to my powers. Oh, well, you may try…**_

A wave of light yellow chakra - an almost sandy colour - coated the Kazekage, surrounding him in an almost fire-like wave of chakra. Gaara bit back a cry of pain, grabbing at his head and falling to his knees, instead of succumbing to the pain - like he would have done at any other time - he imagined the drawing Hinata had made of Nagato's Seal, picturing his own and adding the circle-in-circle design that was the Rinnengan. He wasn't sure if it was supposed to work, but it was better than fighting the Ichibi - he was clearly un-able of standing up to his demon.

His eyes slowly started to focus on the fights around him. Zetsu, Itachi and Madara all stopped fighting, to watch the Kazekage curiously - none of these Akatsuki had seen a Jinchuuriki gain their advanced Seal before and were amazed at how seemingly simple it looked. Kisame, Naruto and Sasuke - however - were still fighting obliviously, as if nothing else existed but them.

When Gaara's eyesight finally cleared, he was aware of the thick layer of yellow chakra coating his skin, and the equally yellow tail swishing slowly parrallel to the ground behind him - if he had to say, his Ichibi's cloak looked more like a thin layering of sand (thicker at the tail) than the purely chakra outline of his comrades. He looked down at his hands curiously, examining the sand/chakra.

Before he could even make a move to finish Zetsu off - he was clearly a higher level than the Akatsuki now - he realized his mistake. However much stronger he had become, four Jinchuuriki had still yet to achieve their advanced seals and would still react to this much chakra in the air - it was a miracle none of them transformed when Lee had.

Shikamaru and Hinata had collapsed on their hands and knees, gasping for breath. A thin layer of bronze chakra was starting to coat Shikamaru's skin - though it was impossible to tell if he was winning in the fight against his demon - but it only seemed that Hinata was in pain, not about to loose control. And - if that wasn't bad enough - Neji's form was starting to quiver, a metallic green chakra was starting to emit from his pressure points.

Sasuke and Naruto seemed to realize what was happening at that point, as Sasuke darted between Neji and his brother - the elder Uchiha looked like he had been considering attacking the Hyuuga while he was fighting with Rokubi. Naruto darted away from Kisame, switching places with Tenten and Lee, to try and keep Madara away from the other fight. Gaara - on the other hand - was left to keep Zetsu away from Shikamaru and Hinata.

'_What a drag…' _Shikamaru complained, rolling his eyes lazily as he looked around his demon's - Hachibi's - seal room. It was pretty bland - compared to the amazing places the others had described to him - but who was he to judge? _'Is this the part where I ask you for permission to use your powers?'_

_**Asking won't do you much good, human. I have no choice in the matter, if I do not give you chakra, we both die. But you may not be able to control it, though I will do my best to give you full control.**_ Hachibi told him honestly, the eight octopus-like tails moving slowly behind his body.

'_You're awfully cooperative. From what the others had told me, your kind aren't exactly considerate.'_ The pony-tailed boy told his demon, the gears spinning in his brain as he tried to find the reasoning behind his demon's kindness. A thin layer of bronze chakra started to leek between the bars that kept his demon at bay, seeping towards the Nara.

_**Our orders were to observer your race, human, not to interfere. It was only a minor set-back when we got sealed in you all, however we are still able to view your ways.**_ The eight-tailed ox responded, a skip to his voice - as if he was actually happy to give his chakra to his host.

Before Shikamaru could ask anymore questions - and he had a few more questions to ask - the bronze chakra started moving over his body, sending an incredible wave of agony up his spine - so strong that he doubled over from the pain. Hachibi's cave disappeared and the fight reappeared around him…

Neji glared around the large chamber dangerously, daring his demon to refuse giving his chakra. It only took the Hyuuga a moment to spot the large bars that almost ever other Jinchuuriki had described multiple times. His were different than the ones the others had described - Naruto's were regular jail cells, Lee's was Coral Reefs… His barely looked like bars, if he was completely honest, it looked more like someone had carved holes into a wall to give spaces large for a fairly large man to fit through.

A pair of bright yellow eyes were watching him from inside the bars, narrowed as if to enhance their slitted pupils.

_**What can I do for you on this very fine day, human?**_ Rokubi asked, though there was no welcoming tone or humour in his voice, just a cold monotone.

'_I demand your chakra.'_ Neji said simply, not leaving any room for his demon to argue - Tenten had said that no time had passed when she visited her demon, but the others swore hours had passed by the time they came back to reality. He didn't know if no one even noticed anything was happening to him or if Itachi was bearing down on him that very second, so - to be on the safe side - he needed to hurry.

A wry given slipped across Rokubi's maw, metallic chakra flooding across the ground as it focused on the Hyuuga.

_**I am in no condition to refuse you, O host of mine, though I must insist upon caution. Perhaps you will not be capable of handling this special Seal the other host's have, perhaps I will be free in a matter of minutes…**_

Neji's eyes snapped open, yellow chakra coating his body with six tails waving behind him. A grin crossed the Hyuuga's face.

They stood a chance!


	24. Clear as Mud

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the characters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. Lmao.

_The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge. _

—_Daniel J. Boorstin_

Sasuke's katana blade clashed with Itachi's kunai, letting a loud metallic ringing echo over the battle field. They had decided that Itachi and Sasuke were the most equally matched, so there was less chance that they would loose someone if those two fought. Lee was holding Kisame back - with Sanbi trying to reopen his connection to the Samehada - so he could wait for one of the others to finish their battle to relieve him. Naruto had drifted away from the 'fish fight' - as he called it - and was helping Gaara and Neji fight with Madara. Though they weren't doing much more than keeping him away from the other fights. Shikamaru and Hinata were barely staying alive as they fought Zetsu without anyone else's help. The newly Sealed Jinchuuriki's powers had worn off an hour ago, and they were running on their normal chakra - though he had Naruto only had one tail left each - and their victory was less-assured because of it.

Sasuke bit back a curse and tossed a shuriken at his brother, using the pressure from their blades to propel himself backwards. Another metallic clang sounded as Sasuke's shuriken was deflected by Itachi's shuriken. Two others soared past but Sasuke easily dodged them. He let out a low growl and glanced up at the sun, it was almost directly overhead. Which meant they had been fighting for close to five hours. The Jinchuriki were all getting weaker, Naruto had even lost a tail.

"What's wrong, Otouto?" Itachi asked in a mocking voice, his Sharingan swirling threateningly. "Can't fight without the cherry blossom around to protect you?"

Sasuke forced a smirk on to his face. "I could ask the same of you, Itachi." He gestured to the cut on his arm - it was small, but had boosted Sasuke's confidence exponentially.

Itachi ignored the jibe and continued. "Why do you hold back? There have been two moment where you could have inflicted major damage to me, or at least tried to." He paused before adding. "Are you hoping that Sakura will come back to help you? Because I can promise you that she will not, she has been trained by the Akatsuki and we are trained to run from death situations. She will not come back unless your powers grow suddenly."

Sasuke bit back another swear and glowered at his brother. "You don't know her. Don't talk about her like you know her!"

He raced forward, his katana - held above his head - sparkling with his Chidori as he let out a loud, guttural cry of rage. When he was only a meter or so from Itachi, he knew that he had made a fatal mistake. Their eyes were locked, Itachi's were spinning with the Mangekyou Sharingan. The world shifted around the youngest Uchiha, it became darker - as if he was surrounded by pure evil - and the Mangekyou Sharingan replaced Itachi's form. His heartbeat started to speed up, his breath was coming out faster. He had let Itachi anger him and was now caught in the genjutsu.

He felt arms wrap around him, though all he could see was his families murder - with the Jinchuuriki's body added to the illusion. The arms wrapped around his waist, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt at the small of his back, a voice rang around the illusion.

"_Ka! Release!_"

Sasuke jerked when the genjutsu vanished. He couldn't see the other fights around them, he couldn't even see Itachi. A round, white ball was surrounding him but he couldn't tell what it was made off. His gaze travelled down to the person who had saved him from Itachi's genjutsu. He could only see a pink head of hair pressed against his chest, with muffled sobs echoing back to him.

"Sakura..." He breathed a sigh and wrapped his arms around her. "I assume that it was a success, then?"

She nodded weakly in response. "I'm s-sorry." She sobbed, her hands tightening on the fistfuls of Sasuke's shirt.

"What are you sorry about, Sakura? How many times do I have to say it, you didn't do anything wrong, okay?" Sasuke told her immediately, pressing his chin against the top of her head. "You saved our asses by leaving like you did, even if we were put at risk for a while."

"You could h-have died!" She told him, her voice skipping slightly from the dry sobs shaking her form.

"But, we didn't, Sakura, we're fine." He paused before asking. "Now where are we? I don't know what this is."

"P-paper. Konan said that she'd watch Kouta for us and when she came back here to drop me off, she said she'd help f-fight." Sakura cried, pulling away from him slightly as the paper sphere dropped away. When the world around them reappeared, they were no longer in the large field but beside a beautifully crafted mansion. Two other paper spheres were morphing out of the grass a few meters from them, though another was just dematerializing. The blue-haired ex-Akatsuki was standing in front of the mansion's door, watching the two other sphere as the paper started peeling away.

"So, you're sure she'll help us?" Sasuke asked in a low voice, letting her slip out of his arms.

Sakura nodded weakly. "I w-wouldn't have suggested this unless I was absolutely positive, Sasuke."

He sighed in response. "You know we'll have to explain this to the others, right?"

"Yeah, but it was necessary. We had to keep the element of surprise."

_"What did you have in mind?"_

_"Well, we've already decided that Onee-chan is the only one who'll be able to protect Kouta, right?" Sakura asked him conversationally, stepping backwards so she could lean against the wall. "Well, how about we fight fire with fire?"_

_Sasuke frowned again. "Explain, please."_

_"See, we're at a major disadvantage here. You could probably take Itachi on your own, but you two are pretty evenly matched, right? Lee _might_ be able to take Kisame, Samehada used to be Sanbi's servant, after all, but he'll probably need Naruto's help. Tenten won't be able to fight Zetsu on her own, she'll survive if Gaara and Neji help her though. But, Hinata and Shikamaru won't be able to fight Madara on their own, though. The only option we have is to run."_

_"Which is impossible, they'll head us off." Sasuke responded, confusion moving across his face. "We can't _all_ escape without them knowing."_

_"Exactly,_ but_ one or two of us could escape." She shot back with a confident grin as she watched his confusion turn to annoyance._

_"Even if one or two of us escape, the rest of us will die." He snapped at her in anger, not believing that she could even suggest such a thing._

_"But what if that person brought back someone who could help?" Sakura countered, not fazed at all by his anger._

_"Who's strong enough to fight an Akatsuki, besides us?"_

_"How about another Akatsuki?" She quickly added. "Listen before saying anything, okay? If I took Kouta to Konan's place, I could probably convince her to come back and pick us up, as well. It would only take me until noon-ish if I left now. She could come bring me back in no time and will be able to grab everyone and go. See, she can use her paper to transport to different locations."_

_"That actually might work." Sasuke said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "Are you sure you can get past the Akatsuki without them noticing?"_

_Sakura nodded immediately, grinning. "Of course! The only problem is Itachi." She paused before explaining. "See, we already know that he can go into people's minds. He did that with me before, so all he has to do is to look into the minds of the other Jinchuuriki too know that I'm bringing in reinforcements."_

_"I can probably use my Sharingan to hide my thoughts, but the others are a problem." He murmured under his breath, moving forward so that he was leaning beside Sakura. "It seems our only option is to lie to them, huh?"_

_"Yeah, which means a note, maybe a mini-battle. And I'll have to take Kouta right now." Sakura answered, pulling a note out of her pocket and handing it to Sasuke. She smiled cockily at him. "Just promise you won't die on me, got it, Uchiha?"_

The Jinchuuriki gapped at their other two when they finished explaining. Konan said nothing as she watched the exchange with a critical eye, leaning against the wall behind the group of Jinchuuriki. Sasuke and Sakura exchanged glances warily, aware that there was a possibility that the other Jinchuuriki could attack them out of pure rage - some might even loose control of their powers. The exact opposite seemed to happen. Hinata let out a cheerful cry and launched herself towards the pink-haired kunoichi. Sakura yelped as the other tackled her to the ground.

"I'm s-so gla-glad you're ok-okay!" Hinata cried, her voice skipping every few words.

"Hinata, ow, get off." Sakura hissed, trying to push Hinata away from her. "You- ow - you're not mad at me?"

"How could we be mad?" Tenten asked, leaning back slightly with a loud sigh. "You risked yourself by trying to sneak past the Akatsuki so you could save us. Not to mention you though that we'd kill you when Sasuke told us you deserted. What you did was nothing sort of heroic, Sakura."

Naruto laughed and darted forward, slipping his arms under Hinata's so he could pull her off his sister. "I knew there wasn't an smidgen of self-concern in your body, Imouto. I _knew_ you'd never leave us out there while you saved yourself." He told her proudly, thumping himself on the chest.

Konan stepped away from the wall, drawing the attention of every Jinchuuriki in the room. "The Akatsuki do not know where we are, and I would like to keep it that way." She told them strictly, sounding more like a scolding teacher than an ex-Akatsuki member. "You may stay here until sunrise, but I must ask that you leave in the morning. Do I make myself clear?"

Naruto's lip twitched upward. "Clear as mud."


	25. Jinchuuriki Death

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the characters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. Lmao.

_Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. _

—_Oscar Wilde_

The Nine Jinchuuriki slowly moved away from Konan's mansion. She had long since gone back inside, after their goodbyes - though Sakura was the only one who seemed genuinely sad to leave - but they could feel Kouta's eyes on them from one of the upper windows of the house. They had woken up before he usually woke so it wouldn't be awkward, but he had woken up anyway and watched their goodbyes without any sign that he would miss them.

A freezing wind brushed by the Jinchuuriki and they immediately pulled their dark cloaks - courtesy of the Secret Uchiha Supply Shop - closer to themselves. A pitch black symbol was emblazoned on their back, the Japanese character for _Freedom_ drawn on top of their Seal. Each of their names had been stitched into the sleeve.

Naruto sneezed as they morphed into the tree line, Konan's house disappearing from view. "Geez, why would she want to live somewhere so friggin' cold?" He asked, not expecting a response. Even though he got one.

"M-maybe Konan-san wants isolation after all that happened to her." Hinata offered quietly, readjusting her backpack on her shoulders.

He frowned in response. "Where the heck are we anyway?" He looked around, as if expecting a large map to come into view.

Neji looked up at the trees above them. "I'd say somewhere in Cloud. Probably pretty far in, though..." He said, more to himself than to the others. "We'll have to keep going until we find a village, before we decided what our plan is."

"Hey! Sakura, didn't you used to live in Cloud?" Lee asked suddenly, causing most of the other Jinchuuriki to jump at his abruptness.

Sakura nodded in response. "Yeah, but I was really young then, so I couldn't tell you much. Sorry." She responded half-heartedly, looking around at the tree surrounding them.

"This place gives me the creeps, I can tell you that much..." Tenten murmured thoughtfully, a shudder running up her spine. "Hey, how far away are we from the Secret Supply place?"

"Far. It'd take about a day to get to Konan's place from there." Sakura responded over her shoulder, not bothering to turn around. "But, don't worry, the Akatsuki have no idea where she lives so they won't know which direction to head in so they'll probably just go back to their headquarters for now."

Neji shook his head. "They can't, though, Konoha secured that place after your battle with the two zombies, remember? They wouldn't risk going back there with all those ninjas." He told her immediately, a frown running across his face when Sakura didn't seem fazed by what he told her.

"They have more than one base, Neji." She told him, sending a smug grin over her shoulder. "But, don't worry, we're completely safe here. Their Cloud base got destroyed a few years back and no one's had anytime to rebuild."

"Wait, you know where their locations are but you never told Tsunade?" Naruto asked in a confused voice.

"I can't. I told Tsunade that I'd tell her everything I _could_ tell her, but I _can't_ tell her where their bases are 'cause I'd die if I did." She glanced at their confused looks before sighing and explaining. "Every Akatsuki member gets a jutsu put on them so that they can't tell anyone where to find the others or what their specific targets are. See, I can't tell you which Jinchuuriki Itachi was targeting or I die - though it is pretty obvious, if you ask me."

They nodded in understanding and drifted off into their own worlds. They were safe for the time being, but it was only a matter of time before the Akatsuki caught scent of their trail and followed them like a dog after the scent of fresh meat. The world was big, yes, but there were plenty of people - who were terrified of the Akatsuki - who would tell them where the Jinchuuriki were. It'd probably be a week - at the most - until the Akatsuki found out their location. Maybe another week until they started following them again. Yet another week until they would have to fight again. They were all jolted out of their thoughts when Neji cleared his throat.

"Sakura, I know I have no right to do so, but would I be able to ask a favour of you?" Neji asked, looking her directly in the eye. Sakura frowned in confusion but nodded. "I think I can speak for everyone when I say that you are one of the strongest members of our group, and you know that I'm telling the truth because I'll be the last to admit someone is stronger than me."

"It's true." Lee and Tenten said in unison, nodding their heads even though they both looked confused.

"The rest of us... Even with our demonic chakra, we didn't stand a chance against the Akatsuki. I don't think it's really occurred to us that _humans_ - sadists, yes, but still human - could defeat a Jinchuuriki." He paused before continuing, his eyes flickering towards Sasuke too. "I would like to ask that you two give us as much possible training as you can while we travel. It is inevitable that we will run into the Akatsuki again, so we should be prepared."

Sakura laughed nervously. "Doesn't seem like we have much choice, does it?" Her green-eyed gaze shifted to Sasuke, questioning.

Sasuke sighed in response. "Listen, Sakura and I have been trained in a... different way than the rest of you have. And different is putting it nicely. We'll be glad to give you as much advice, or help, or anything that'll make you stronger but - and I think I speak for both of us - we're not going to train you the way _we_ were trained." He declared, his eyes flickering to the fading sun. "We'll make camp now and talk details in the morning, alright?"

After their 'discussion' the Jinchuuriki had listened to every piece of advice that the two had given them. Whether it simply be a comment about their chakra control, or about their fighting style. Sakura's meditation had also become a daily ritual, something they did before sunset everyday, even if they weren't setting up camp. Some - Naruto and Shikamaru, mainly, or others if they were particularly exhausted - just fell asleep while they sat still with their legs crossed. No one said anything, though, unless they started snoring. Every once in a while, Sasuke would get the Jinchuuriki to run from tree branch to tree branch, hanging upside down so they'd get better at controlling their chakra and getting used to using only as much as need be. It had been almost a week since they escaped the Akatsuki when their problem really started.

The Jinchuuriki - even Gaara, surprisingly - were sitting around the small fire, their legs cross and a relaxed expression on their faces. Sasuke was standing outside the circle, the night watch for that night. The two 'sensai's - as Naruto called them - had noticed that Hinata was getting worse with each day. She kept falling from the tree branches, more than was normal even if she was tired. She would lag behind the group until someone yelled at her to catch up. Being the only one who hadn't gained Nagato's Seal yet was a major toll on her, and it was becoming more and more obvious with each day. Sasuke and Sakura had tried to convince her to try to force contact with her demon but she refused, saying that she didn't want to risk loosing control around them all. They knew that she wasn't thinking about that at all, though, she was worried that even if she made contact with Yonbi she wouldn't get the Seal and she'd be branded a freak.

Hinata sat quietly, placed between Sakura and Naruto - like usual - as she faked the meditation like she did every night, afraid that she'd loose control if she got even a tiny bit close to her demon's chakra. Not that she'd tell the others, but she was terrified. Not just of not getting her seal, but of her demon. Sakura had said that her demon was really nice to her, but all of the others agreed that their demon's were horrible. She was afraid that her demon would be horrible, too, and she'd be eternally bound with it after she opened their connection.

Hinata sighed, knowing that by being so selfish she was putting the others in danger. _You have to be strong, Hinata. Even if you make contact but loose control, they'll be able to re-Seal you and you'll get Nagato's Seal anyway. Quit being selfish and try to follow their lead!_ She took a deep breath and focused on the world around her. The quiet shuffle of Sasuke's feet, the soft snores coming from Naruto and Shikamaru, the slow rumble coming from Lee's empty stomach, the deep breathing from everyone else. One-by-one, Hinata blocked the sounds out of her mind until she was only left with her heartbeat and her own breathing. With a jolt, Hinata realized that she had accomplished perfect meditation when it had taken the others days to do so. She frowned and started over, annoyed at herself that she would let such a fact bring her out of her trance-like state.

In no time, she was only surrounded by her breathing and heartbeat. She slowed her breathing until it was only a silent pulse in the distance, like it was someone else's breath, not hers. Hinata focused on her heartbeat, pushing it away from herself so that she'd only be surrounded by her chakra - like Sakura had explained. Her heartbeat started to dim, like she was simply walking away from it.

Her entire world shook, her heartbeat stopped echoing around her and she found herself in a large, shrine-looking cave. There were numerous candles decorating the space, their flames flickering slightly in the invisible breeze. A dozen or so stalagmites and stalactites were jutting out of the ground across the room from here, creating a bar-like structure that cut the room in half.

Hinata gasped when she realized where she was.

Yonbi's chamber. The location and center point of her Seal.

Hinata smiled goofily and hurried towards the bars, standing far enough away that the demon wouldn't be able to attack her, but close enough that she could see what was inside. Yellow eyes flashed open when she stopped moving as thunder cracked somewhere in the distance.

_**Ah, the human child... What do you want, human? Speak!**_ The six-tailed demon barked as it moved closer to the bars. It's yellow fur glinted in the little light available, lighting crackling over the surface of its coat. It's six, thunderbolt-shaped tails swished lightly behind it.

"I, um... I want Nagato's Seal, like all my friends have." Hinata offered weakly, terror washing over her body as she realized how stupid it was that she was there. The others had said that it was possible to _die_ while in the chamber, even though it was simply part of their subconscious.

_**The Rinnengan's Seal, you mean?**_ It asked her in a gravely voice, it's eyes narrowing slightly. Hinata nodded weakly. _**What use do you have for that Seal?**_

"I want to be able to use your power so that I can help my friends." Hinata declared, forcing her voice not to stutter so the demon wouldn't see the weakness in her. "As you know, the Akatsuki are pursuing us and if they catch us, they'll take you and use your powers. That's bad for everyone. See, if I die-"

_**I will die, too. I am aware of this fact, little human.**_ He snapped angrily, a large bolt of lightning hitting the wall to Hinata's left. She yelped. _**What I meant was, why do **_**you**_** need this Seal? Clearly you have no more use of it.**_

Hinata took a deep breath. "What do you mean by that?"

A malicious grin spread across Rokubi's face. _**When you 'dim' your heart, you stop it, human.**_ It barked a loud laugh. _**You're heart has been stopped, you are no longer one of the living.**_


	26. Nagato's Seal Strikes Again

_Disclaimer_

**K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the characters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except **_**my**_** story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it **_**in**_** Naruto, but I want credit if they do. Lmao.**

_**There is a great difference between worry and concern. A worried person sees a problem, and a concerned person solves a problem. **_

—_**Harold Stephens**_

**"W..What do you mean?" Hinata demanded, barely trusting her voice.**

**Rokubi sighed deeply, annoyed. **_**In Meditation, the noises around you no longer apply to you, if someone were to stab you, you wouldn't feel it. When you block out your breathing, you slow your breathing. When you block out your heartbeat, you stop your heartbeat and you consequently stopped your own heart. **_He frowned slightly. _**My presence in your body is the only thing keeping you alive, I believe. If your friends do not realize what is happening in time, you will cease to exist.**_

"Meaning?" Hinata asked, not sure if she should trust the demon or not.

_**Meaning your friends are either in a deep trance or asleep. If the night watch does not notice you before **_**my**_** heartbeat stops, we will **_**both**_** perish for eternity.**_

Sasuke leaned moodily against the tree. He hated night watch. Not only did he have to stand completely still in a snow-covered forest, he had to keep his attention focused on the world around him. He couldn't use the age-old 'pretend your someplace warm' trick because it would take too much concentration to picture the little he remembered about Suna. He needed to remain focused, waiting for the attack that everyone seemed sure was going to happen. The others were lucky, they were huddled around the fire and pressed close together to share body heat. He needed to stay outside their circle in case their deep breathing - or snoring in the case of some - interfered with his hearing. He couldn't even make his own fire in case the crackling was louder than the sound of a ninja creeping through the trees - which it was.

He sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that night and slouched down, pulling his cloak closer to his body. Movement caught his ears and he titled his head. Sakura slid down the tree beside him, curling up against his side.

"Hey." She greeted lightly, shivering under her cloak.

"Hey." He responded, subconsciously wrapping his arm around her small form.

They didn't say anything at first, just sat there in each others company. It wasn't even an awkward silence, like they both assumed time alone - or at least with the others completely out of it - would be, not when they were in a near death experience or discussing battle strategy. Neither of them were willing to break the comfortable silence they had conjured up, but they needed to. Sasuke was the one to do so.

"Do you really think we'll be able to defeat them?" He asked in a quiet tone, knowing that if he raised his voice too much some of the Jinchuuriki would wake up and want to join the conversation.

Sakura shrugged against his side. "Does it matter what I think? It's not like we have a choice either way. We have to fight, whether the odds are in our favour or not." She responded, tactfully skipping around his question.

"I know, but I still want to know what you're thoughts are." Sasuke responded, pushing the conversation back to the battle that they knew would take place.

She sighed deeply, not answering him at first before muttering. "It's hard to say, Sasuke. There are so many variables. The weather could be raining and that might give Kisame a good boost. One of us could've been injured the night before and be unable to fight. They might be able to get a sneak attack on us or something." She took a shuddering breath, moving closer to Sasuke's side. "I dunno. It's possible, definitely possible. But... we don't even know if the others will be able to take _all_ their tails. I mean the three of us could only use five tails when we first got Nagato's Seal - though that's all of _my _tails. What if they only get a portion of their tails, too?"

Sasuke chuckled lightly, rubbing her upper arm soothingly. "I think that was more because of the fact that Naruto and I were too scared to conjure up anymore tails, Sakura." He pressed the side of his head against hers. "I think we can do it."

"How can you sound so confidant, Sasuke?" She asked weakly, her green-eyes focused on a single point of the tree in front of them.

He paused before answering her. "When I was younger, my mother used to tell me stories of mothers who could lift up normally un-lift able objects to save their babies, or ninja to save their team-mates." He told her softly, focusing on the tree as well. "I never understood how anyone could gain _that_ much power. My father and Itachi just told me that it was adrenaline, and then they'd give me a scientific explanation of why adrenaline would affect them. But... not my mother. Mother always told me that it was something to do with the human body. She said that when a human - ninja or not - has someone to protect, their powers grow exponentially. It's part of the human system. Of course, even with that, they'd only have the power to do certain things."

"Lemme guess, defeating the Akatsuki isn't one of those things?" Sakura asked off-handily, annoyance creeping through her system. Why couldn't he just give her a straight answer?

Sasuke chuckled again. "No, it's not." He sighed and continued. "Demons, on the other hand, are reckless and uncoordinated, but powerful. My theory is that, if we use our demon's powers, we'll be able to defeat them."

"Why? None of us have anything to protect anymore, we got kicked out of Konoha, remember?" She reminded him gently, hoping he didn't pull away and go into the cocoon he had been in when they were younger.

He shook his head. "Not what I meant, Sakura. Loyalty to a village isn't strong enough for a power increase of this kind." He told her softly, not showing any signs of explaining.

"Then what is, Sasuke?" She demanded, her annoyance moving to show on her face. "We have _nothing_ to protect."

"I do." Sasuke responded calmly, tightening his grip around her waist. "When a human has some_one_ to protect, their power's grow exponentially. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd do anything to keep you safe, Sakura."

Sakura's mouth dropped open. Before she could even come up with some semblance of a response, her entire form stiffened and she swore violently, pulling away from Sasuke. He jumped to his feet, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade as he waited for the Akatsuki to jump out of the bushes. He frowned when nothing around them moved and his gaze shifted to Sakura. She was hurrying around the circle of Jinchuuriki, towards a collapsed Hinata. The Hyuuga heiress was laying face-down in the damp grass around the fire. Sasuke rushed over to them, slamming his fist into Naruto's shoulder to wake him up. Naruto snorted loudly as he woke up.

"Wassgoinon?" He asked drearily, his sleep-fogged eyes gazing around the campsite. His cerulean eyes finally rested on Hinata and he gasped. "Hinata? Hinata!"

"Naruto, shut up! Go wake up the others_ now_!" Sakura snapped at him, her demonic chakra starting to concentrate in her hands. Naruto yelped and turned towards Shikamaru - the closest to him.

"He can be dense sometime but using demonic chakra to scare him is a bit much, don't you think?" Sasuke asked crouching down on Hinata's other side - where Sakura had been sitting before.

Sakura shook her head. "Not why I called it." She raised her hands above her head, slamming them down into Hinata's chest with her demonic chakra snapping into the other girl's body. "Sasuke, check her breathing and pulse." She ordered as her chakra started to concentrate in her hands again.

Sasuke complied, placing his hand in front of Hinata's mouth before pressing his fingers to her neck. "Nothing." He told her, aware that half the Jinchuuriki were already crowded around them while Naruto worked on waking the others.

Sakura slammed her hands against Hinata's chest again. "Damnit, c'mon, Hinata. Stay with us." She muttered under her breath, slamming her fists down again.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing to her?" Neji cried, pushing Naruto away from him as he rushed to the small group with anger flashing across his face.

"Trying to restart her heart, idiot. Now go make yourself useful and go get some blankets!" Sakura snapped back, bringing her chakra-coated fists down again. She leaned forward, so her ear was in front of Hinata's mouth. "Damnit."

The group of Jinchuuriki hurried to their packs, fishing around for their blankets and extra cloaks. Naruto and Neji stayed next to the pale Hyuuga heiress, across from Sakura. Naruto gently took the girl's freezing hand into both of his.

"You can't leave us, Hinata. You can't." Naruto said, his eyes shimmering with tears as he squeezed her hand watching as his sister tried to restart Hinata's heart. "It's not fair, not after everything we've been through."

"What happened to her?" Neji demanded, his glare still focused on Sakura.

"Neji, if you don't let Sakura do this..." Sasuke threatened, pushing the Hyuuga away from the scene that was playing out in front of them. "...I swear I'll make sure whatever happens to Hinata will happen to _you_ ten-fold."

Sasuke waited a moment, glowering at Neji, waiting for him to fight back or yell. When he made no sign of disobeying, Sasuke went back to the tiny group and sat next to Sakura. The pink-haired kunoichi hit Hinata's chest again. They all froze when a soft gasp sounded around them. It seemed to hang over all their heads. Sakura leaned forward again, her breath still wasn't coming out, she could feel Hinata's heart beating slowly - dangerously slow - below her index and middle fingers. Sakura placed her hands around Hinata's neck loosely, as if she were about to strangle her. Everyone leaned forward, but no one said anything. Sakura gasped in pain as her demonic chakra swirled around her, flowing into Hinata's body.

The younger Hyuuga heiress copied Sakura' gasp and shot upwards, her forehead barely missing Sakura's. The pink-haired kunoichi immediately collapsed sideways into Sasuke's arms, barely choking out "Blan...kets..." before slipping into unconsciousness. Sasuke's eyes shifted towards Hinata, she was shaking violently she lips were a dull blue and her skin was pale. Naruto and Neji immediately wrapped her up in the numerous blankets and moved her closer to the burning fire.

"Gaara, would you..." Before Sasuke could finish his sentence, a ball of sand surrounded them. Successfully blocking out any blowing snow and cold wind. The small space immediately began to warm from their combined body heat and the fire.

"Hinata, what happened?" Naruto asked worriedly, crouching by her side and placing a hand on her shoulder soothingly.

She took a shuddering breath. "I-I tr-t-tried to me-meditat-ate, but m-my h-hea-heart s-s-st-stopped a-and n-now I-I'm o-okay." She stuttered, her teeth clattering together so much that it made it hard for her to speak properly.

"Well, how-" He began to ask, but Neji grabbed his shoulder and shook his head.

"She was dead, Naruto. Let her sleep, we'll talk in the morning." Neji commanded, releasing Naruto's shoulder and patting his cousin on the head. "I'm glad your not dead, Hinata."

"I-I'm gl-glad yo-u're no-not d-dead t-too, Ne-Neji." Hinata told him with a warm smile, smugness practically radiating off her body.

"Why is she so happy after all that?" Tenten asked in a hushed voice, clearly questioning Hinata's sanity.

"Oh, I thought that was obvious, Hinata has also gained Nagato's Seal."


	27. Maps and Things

_Disclaimer_

**K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the characters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except **_**my**_** story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it **_**in**_** Naruto, but I want credit if they do. Lmao.**

_**It is easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them. **_

—_**Alfred Adler**_

**Sakura sat up slowly, trying to fight off the drowsiness. She was suddenly aware of the fact that the sun was directly above them, she sped up the waking process and bolted forward, her gaze darting around the clearing. Hinata was curled up in a cocoon of blankets a meter away from her, not that she needed it. Gaara had created a sand dome around them to trap the heat, and it was doing it's job. Naruto was sitting next to Hinata, with his back to her. Tenten was sitting next to the fire, cutting vegetables into a big metal pot, but her eyes were focused on the pink-haired kunoichi.**

**"Morning, Sakura." Tenten said cheerfully, holding up the hand that held a carrot in greeting.**

**"Morning..." Sakura responded, her eyes flickering up to the sun again. "What time is it?"**

**"Around noon, probably." Tenten responded half-heartedly, grabbing a celery stock when the carrot had been successfully sliced. "We decided to stay here until you two woke up. It's basic knowledge that someone who's used up most of their chakra should sleep until they regained it and since the person we were supposed to let sleep was **_**you **_**we couldn't ask you how long we should let Hinata rest. So we figured the more rest, the better, right?"**

**Sakura nodded in confusion, gazing around the sand dome. "Where's everyone else?" She asked lightly, her eyes flickering towards her brother when he answered her.**

**"They left a few hours ago, their looking for food or berries we could eat." Naruto told her in a tired voice, his eyes locked on Hinata's sleeping form.**

**Sakura glanced back at Tenten, the weapon's specialist hand-signed that Naruto hadn't left Hinata's side - not even to sleep. The pink-haired kunoichi nodded and moved closer to her brother, so she was sitting on Hinata's other side. The Hyuuga heiress' breath was coming out deeply and evenly. Sakura pressed her fingers against her neck and counted, nodding when she was satisfied before peeling her eyelid back slightly.**

**"Is she okay?" Naruto asked in a strained voice, panic creeping across his face as he watched his sister expectantly. "I made sure she was warm all night and I kept a canteen here in case she woke up and was thirsty."**

**"Naruto, she's fine. She's gonna be alright, I promise you." Sakura assured him, reaching across the sleeping girl to flick him on the forehead. "Now go lay down before **_**you**_** keel over, dummy."**

**Naruto nodded, but darted around Hinata to hug his sister before curling up in his sleeping bag. He was asleep the instant his head touched the ground. Tenten laughed from across the fire as Sakura edged closer to the flames.**

**"You know, I think everyone's respect level for you went up ten-fold last night." Tenten stated matter-of-factly, moving the pot so that it was over the fire.**

**"Why?" Sakura asked in genuine confusion, her gaze snapping away from the fire to look at Tenten. "I didn't do anything."**

**It was Tenten's turn to look surprised. "Sakura, Hinata was **_**dead**_**. If you hadn't of been here, she still would be. Actually we'd probably have to be burying her right now, if you hadn't have been here." She told the younger girl, shaking her head.**

**Sakura shrugged helplessly. "Hey, I just did what any medic would do in my place." She said, almost as if she were defending herself.**

**"But that's just it, Sakura. I don't think that's true." Tenten said immediately, as she pulled two kunai out of her holster and started sharpening them. "No other medic would have been able to do what you did. You used **_**four**_** tails to restart her heart and another to unblock her air pipes. No other medic has five tails they can willingly spare! I could tell, from the look you had, you would have even used all **_**your own**_** chakra before you let Hinata slip away. No **_**other**_** medic has that resolve, Sakura. So stop being modest and let us idolize you."**

**"No, don't idolize me." Sakura begged weakly, knowing as she said it that the others were going to treat her differently no matter what she did after that point.**

**Tenten's mouth opened in annoyance but she stopped when a portion of the sand fell away behind her. The rest of their odd group stepped inside the warm sphere, before any of them could say anything. Tenten spoke. "Sasuke, she's doing it again!"**

**"Doing what?" He asked in confusion, sending a questioning look towards Sakura. She shrugged in response.**

**"Being too damn modest." Tenten snapped, glowering across the fire at the pink-haired kunoichi. "Tell her to stop it!"**

**"Who says I can control her anymore than you can?" Sasuke asked, dropping a dead rabbit beside her and moving to sit next to Sakura. "She completely free, she can do whatever she wants."**

**Tenten rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, give me some warning if you two are going to start openly flirting with each other so I can throw up, okay?" She demanded, using her kunai to start skinning one of the rabbits, while Lee started on the other one.**

**"How's Hinata?" Neji asked, glancing over at his cousin's sleeping form.**

**"She'll be fine, though she'll need a little more rest." Sakura told him, glancing over her shoulder at the other girl. "We won't be able to leave until tomorrow, but she should wake up before supper tonight."**

**Neji nodded his understanding and moved closer to the fire, pulling the lid off the pot to glance at the cooking vegetables critically. "We couldn't find many things to eat, though we did find an abandoned building not far away with a garden in front of it. We found a map inside and picked most of the vegetables so we should be good for a while." Lee said subconsciously as he focused on skinning the rabbit. "Besides, we're gonna need to find more food soon because all the streams around here are frozen over."**

**"We're gonna go over the map after we have some food, you'll be able to tell us where we can't go, right, Sakura?" Sasuke asked her conversationally, he paused before adding. "Because you can't specifically tell us where the Akatsuki are, but you **_**can**_** tell us that you don't want to go somewhere, right?"**

**"The ANBU better be happy you guys are good, what with all the exceptions to the rules you find." Sakura scoffed, rolling her eyes though the warm glow emitting from the jade spheres was enough to take the edge off.**

**"See, we figured that we'll be at a better advantage if we fight somewhere a little warmer. We already plotted out the best route to Fire country, but we'll need you to look over it to make sure there aren't any 'uncomfortable situations' on the way." Neji told her, a smirk flickering onto his face as if they were merely talking about taking a picnic.**

**Shikamaru laid the map out on a flat rock near the sand wall, using smaller rocks to hold it in place. Sakura and Sasuke moved closer to it. A small red dot showed where the Supply Shop was another dot showed their estimated guess of where Konan was, a dotted line had been drawn between the two with the distance drawn in kilometres drawn above that. Sakura accepted a black marker and put a small dot in a seemingly random place in Earth country. "There are really bad rock slides around here, so let's not go there, okay?" No one said anything, but she could feel the happiness emitting from the other Jinchuuriki. She put another dot in Wind and Water. "These are really nasty spots. Hurricanes, tornados and such."**

**Gaara looked over her shoulder and frowned. "Kankuro had given me reports of violent sandstorms around there." He told her, pointing at one of the black dots.**

**"Yeah, that's why we're not gonna go there." She said cheerfully as she drew another black dot in Fire country - the opposite side of Konoha to them. She handed the marker back to Sasuke and leaned back.**

**"Alright, the Supply Shop was closest to Water country's base, so they'd probably go there. That's about..." Sasuke paused, the gears in his head shifting into overdrive. "About four days away from Konan's house. Sakura, how long does it take for information to travel in the Akatsuki?"**

**"Depends how long it'll take for them to get off their butts and to their sources. See, no one in their right mind would go willingly into the Akatsuki's territory, they all wait for the Akatsuki to come to them." She responded cautiously, pulling a light green marker out of his hand and putting a few dozen more dots around the paper. "These are where they'd go to try and get a clue to our location. They have a lot more, but these would be the people who would actually have any **_**idea**_** of where we are."**

**"And ideas are bad." Tenten added, moving closer to them as the stew simmered in the pot behind her. "Ideas always have an inkling of truth, and it wouldn't take the Akatsuki long to turn inklings into cold-hard facts."**

**"Exactly." Neji said, drawing how long it'd take the Akatsuki to reach each source between the dots. "That plant guy - Zetsu, is it? - how long does it take him to travel between plants?"**

**"Depends how far away it is. This base here, is the one Konoha has under surveillance, but it'd only take a minute to get from here to Konoha's front gates." Sakura told him, frowning as she guessed the distance. "That's about forty k, right?"**

**"Looks about right. So forty kilometers in one minute..." Neji said under his breath, handing a pencil to Shikamaru.**

**The lazy boy moved closer to the map, muttering formulas to himself as he wrote times beside each dot carefully. After each dot had a time beside it, he circle the ones between their location and Konan's.**

**"Okay, it will take him this long if he leaves for those locations immediately, not counting how long it will take for him to find their sources and question them. These six are the ones we have to worry about. They're the only ones that'll have any idea that we're in Cloud." Shikamaru told them, tapping the circled dots with the end of the pencil. With a frown he drew more times beside them. "So, the Zetsu guy will probably be sent to the farthest locations. So around Earth, Wind and most of Fire. The others were split up to check the rest."**

**"So, it'll take one of the Akatsuki this long to reach this location?" Lee clarified, pointing at the farthest circled source in confusion. "I mean, if they didn't stop or anything." Shikamaru nodded. "Okay, so if we add all these together and then add an estimated guess we'll figure out how long it'll take them to get an inkling of where we are."**

**"Yeah, but when that inkling comes they'll horde to that source immediately." Sasuke muttered, his eyes scanning the map. "So, we need to find how long it'll take one of them to get here and then how far the other Akatsuki will have gotten by that time, right? They'll probably search as a group after that, so they'll be able to search Cloud's sources faster."**

**"But, at least we'll have an rough guess at how much time we'll have to get to a warmer location." Sakura responded, watching Shikamaru in confusion as if she could physically see the gears moving inside his head as he calculated the times.**

**Tenten sniffed the air in annoyance before darting back over to the pot. "Ah, damnit." She quickly pulled the pot off the fire and set it on the grass, pulling their bowls closer to her and grabbing a spoon. "That was close. Anyone in the mood for well-done rabbit stew?"**

**Okay, guys, this was supposed to be a filler-like chappie cause I have a small idea of where I'm going but I needed time to get my thoughts together. I figured that if the anime can do it, so can I! Even though I **_**really **_**hate it when the anime puts in fillers... Ah, whatever. Tell me whatcha think! Ciao!**


	28. Next Stop

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the characters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. Lmao.

_Discipline is just choosing between what you want now and what you want most. _

—_Unknown Author_

Shikamaru hunched over the large map, his eyes scanning the numerous dots at the numbers beside them. The other Jinchuuriki were breathing deeply behind him - except Neji, who was that night's watch - and were completing dead to the world. Though that wasn't a good saying, considering how close one of them had been to death the previous night. He shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts and refocused on the map, so he could make sure his estimation was correct. It would take whatever Akatsuki member they sent at _least_ two days to reach the closest informant - and that was using by their fastest runners speed - then another day to reach the next one, two after that, then three more to reach the circled dot. That was where the Akatsuki would probably regroup.

Shikamaru was positive that they would find a few clues that they had been there, they had stopped in that very town to restock - not thinking in their hurry to get as far away from the ex-Akatsuki's house as possible. He had put x's on the map of where the other Akatsuki would be by the time they got their first smell of the Jinchuuriki. It would take another five days for them to regroup - with this many Jinchuuriki together, _one_ Akatsuki wouldn't risk trying to fight them alone. That would give the Akatsuki two weeks to get to the farthest circle - and this was all using their fastest runners speed, and not accounting for the time it would take to interview their sources or any breaks they might take.

Shikamaru would like to take more time to be precise about this, but it would be best for them all if they went by the least possible amount of time they had so they'd go only that much faster.

He sighed deeply and quickly drew two weeks next to the circled dot before guessing the distant between their current location and that dot, it would take four days for them to reach that point - and they had been at this campsite long enough for their to be plenty of clues to prove to the Akatsuki that they were on the right trail. The second they knew that, they'd speed up their pace and go all out after the Jinchuuriki. They had already chosen the best place for their battle, though none of them had said it out loud.

The Valley of the End was roughly two weeks away from their current location, normally it wouldn't take so long and they'd just be able to run straight there. But it was summer, which meant that all the ice was unstable so they wouldn't just be able to run across Lake Raikage - the lake between Cloud and Fire, where the Second Raikage apparently fought the First to steal his position - and would have to go around. That would give them a bit less than a week to mentally prepare themselves in the Valley of the End before the fight, maybe even fit in a little training - though it wouldn't be smart to waste all their chakra on training before the battle.

Shikamaru sighed again and drew a five-pointed star over the Valley with another time written beside it. He rolled up the map and shoved it into his bag in annoyance. None of the Jinchuuriki had asked him to stay up all night to work, but it _had_ been his turn to do night watch and he doubted that he'd be able to keep his mind clear enough to focus. So, he simply told them that he was going to work on their map and strategy instead so they'd need another night watch, Neji had volunteered readily.

The lazy brunette spread another paper on the surprisingly flat rock and used the smaller rocks to hold it in place. He drew the Akatsuki's names along the top of the paper, evenly spread out. He drew their approximate skill level - rated on a scale of a hundred, with most in the nineties - below their names with their weapons beside them. He then drew the Jinchuuriki's name's on the bottom with the same facts - only he drew their demon's name above their names and their skill level wasn't counting the tails or demons. His eyes scanned the paper, the name's and statistics morphing in his mind so that each name became a specific Shogo piece. His gaze zeroed in on the farthest left name: Hoshigaki Kisame, Samehada, 99.

From what Sakura had told him, Kisame could regenerate himself with the blade. The shark skin blade absorbed chakra and sent it into the blue man's body to heal him or to give him a boost. They couldn't just take the sword, the blade didn't let anyone but Kisame hold it. He'd have to ask Sakura later if there were any exceptions to that rule, Samehada seemed to be the key to Kisame's defeat.

Uchiha Itachi, Sharingan, 97. Shikamaru didn't know as much about the Sharingan as he would've liked. There were too many possible forms that it could take for him to feel safe. Regular Sharingan's could read movement, Mangekyou shoved the victim into an inescapable illusion that seemed to last three days but only took seconds, there was another form that Sasuke had mentioned - though he hadn't called it by name and was vague about it - Shikamaru would need to know more about it to make a fair assessment of that battle.

Zetsu, ?, 95. Honestly, Shikamaru knew next to nothing about the plant man. Sakura had spoken of him as if he were simply the messenger of the Akatsuki, a strong one, but just a messenger. They wouldn't need any of their strong forces to kill him, but there was always a chance that Sakura didn't know something about him that could prove crucial. Best to skip him for later.

Uchiha Madara, 100, Sharingan. This would be the battle he was most worried about. The others wouldn't take long to beat, even if they were all together, but their main fighters would need to take on Madara until the other's finished so they could all fight him together. There was a possibility that their weaker fighter's could just distract him until the stronger ones got rid of Itachi or Kisame then the weak ones would go help fight the other one, though that was really risky.

Shikamaru forced back a groan and gripped his head in both his hands. There were too many possibilities, and it wasn't simply a Shogo game that he could forfeit if it became impossible to win. Not only would he and the other Jinchuuriki die, the entire world would be as good as doomed. If a _single_ thing went wrong, they were as good as dead.

He took a deep breath, his eyes flickering over the sleeping Jinchuuriki behind him. He was under too much pressure at that moment, he'd be able to think better when the reached the Valley of the End. Then he'd be able to ask the others anything he needed to.

Was it possible to separate Kisame and Samehada? What powers did the new Sharingan possess? Are you _sure_ Zetsu doesn't have any special powers, except for the plants? How could they split up the Jinchuuriki so that their teams would be evenly matched...?

"Teams?" Shikamaru asked himself in a hushed tone, realization dawning on his face. _That's it!_

Nine Jinchuuriki, it was just like it had been back at Konoha. Nine rookie Genin, three teams... Four Akatsuki... Sasuke and Sakura could easily handle Itachi, as long as they fought together. Naruto would fight Zetsu. Neji, Lee and Tenten would fight Kisame - Lee could get Sanbi to tell him how to contact Samehada. Gaara, Hinata and himself would be able to hold Madara off, at least until one of the other's finished. If worst came to worst, Sakura could always go to help them and let Itachi and Sasuke finish up - they were evenly matched enough, besides then she'd be able to just leave the fight - without being worried about it - so she could heal anyone who needed it. They could actually win!

It was a great relief to the group of Jinchuuriki when Shikamaru told them that they'd have a bit less than two weeks to get to the Valley of the End without Akatsuki interruption. Though none of them were looking forward to the two week run to the Valley. A few Jinchuuriki had actually considered going _past_ Valley of the End and keep running until the Akatsuki caught up with them, those ideas were immediately shot down though. It would be better than _they_ had the choice to terrain. If they kept going, the Akatsuki could follow them for weeks and only jump out to ambush them in a location of their favour. Obviously not a good idea.

They left an hour before sunset, not wanting to stay in that spot any longer than they'd need too. No one spoke a word, but they immediately fell into position. With Naruto - the strongest - at point, Sasuke and Sakura - the best sensors - at the back of the group. Hinata and Neji in front of them - using their Byakugan to scan the trees around them. Tenten, Shikamaru, Gaara and Lee between them and Naruto - just waiting for a fight.

They needed to make sure they weren't spotted by anyone, Shinobi or regular humans, just in case they brought news back to one of the Akatsuki spies and just made it that much easier for the organization to find them.

"This is really gonna happen, isn't it?" Hinata asked in her normal hushed voice as her Byakugan scanned the trees to their left. "We're going to have to fight, right?"

"Yeah... we are..." Neji responded under his breath, his eyes narrowing when he caught movement. _Just a rabbit..._ "It's all we _can_ do, Hinata."

"Why is fighting always the only option?" She demanded, turning to glare at her cousin until Shikamaru sent her a pointed look over his shoulder. She tuned back to the trees and frowned miserably.

"It's not the only option, Hinata." Sakura responded gently, her eyes flickering past the group of Jinchuuriki to her brother - who's fists were clenched so the whites were showing on his knuckles. "It's our last option."

"We can't hide." Tenten called over her shoulder but didn't turn around herself. "That'll only put other people in danger, so that's out."

"We've tried running." Lee continued, his eyes flickering towards the youngest Hyuuga. "They're too good at tracking and too much faster than we are. It's impossible to keep running."

"We can't just push this problem onto someone else's plate, Hinata." Sasuke finished, his eyes never wavering from watching the back of Hinata's head. "This is _our_ time. Our time to be heroes, to save the world. However you want to think about it. I know you're not looking forward to killing, no one _wants _to kill anyone."

"None of us _want_ to fight." Sakura added in a quiet voice, her eyes shimmering. "Normally, I'd say that everyone has a choice, but we don't. We can keep running but it'll only put more people in jeopardy. Kouta's village was _destroyed_ because of us. We can't risk letting that happen to more villages."

"But, what if the Akatsuki are destroying those other villages as we speak, the ones we passed through?" Hinata responded desperately, risking a glance over her shoulder at Sasuke and Sakura.

Sakura didn't say anything, her eyes downcast. Surprisingly, Sasuke was the one who spoke. "Don't think about them, what _might_ happen to them isn't of consequence right now." Sakura and Hinata shot him surprised looks but he continued before they could say anything. "I will take anyone who wants to back to those villages to bury anyone the Akatsuki may or may not have killed. More people will die if we don't continue on to the Valley of the End."

"The only thing we can do is to kill the ones who are responsible for that much death, and to honour the dead as if they were our own families." Naruto finally spoke from the point of their group. "It's our job to make sure those monsters don't hurt another living person. I intend to complete that job, even if the rest of you turn to run."

"Hey! Don't count us in with the cowards!" Sasuke snapped, glaring at the back of the blonds head. "There's no way in _hell_ I'm running away from a good fight."

"Good thing you didn't say 'if hell froze over.'" Sakura said, barely loud enough for the other shinobi to hear her. "I mean, around here it looks like it already did."

Naruto barked a laugh from the front of the group. Everyone's mood seemed to lift from the calm joking, and they sped up their pace.

Next stop: The Valley of the End.


	29. Valley of the End

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the characters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. Lmao.

_The very best thing you can do for the whole world is to make the most of yourself. _

—_Wallace Wattles_

The group of nine Jinchuuriki stood at the edge of the Valley of the End. Their breaths were coming out in short gasps from the long run they had just gone on - taking breaks only every three days. Naruto and Sasuke had gotten tense when they approached the cliff that led to the Valley of the End, memories of their fight there were starting to make themselves known. Sakura looked between her team-mates - only knowing about their fight because Itachi had heard it from one of his sources in Konoha. She sighed dramatically.

"Geez, this place has some kinda irony, huh?" The pink-haired kunoichi asked, setting her hands on her hips as she glared around the valley.

"How d'you figure?" Lee asked, tilting his head so that Sakura was in his line of vision.

"Well, this is where Madara - Sharingan - fought the First Hokage - The Will of Fire. Naruto - the Will - and Sasuke - Sharingan - fought here years ago. And all the older people are always saying that the newer generation holds the Will of Fire and we're about to fight Madara again." Sakura sighed again and started making her way along the side of the cliff. "Just thinking out loud, ignore me..."

"Where will we stay until the Akatsuki arrive?" Neji asked, sighing before following Sakura with his eyes focused on the large lake in front of them.

"Near the statues seems like a good place." Tenten responded, jogging after her team-mate. "They'll come from the same side that we came from, so if we're over there we'll see them coming."

"And if they split up to go around?" Lee asked, his eyes flickering between the two Team Kakashi members before following the rest of the group.

"They wouldn't risk it, there's too many of us and too few of them." Sasuke said, shaking his head to get rid of the memories as he followed the others. "Get your head out of the gutter, Uzumaki."

Naruto shook his head and followed them, but said nothing.

The strange group made their way around the large valley, barely glancing down at the lake that would be their battle ground in a bit less than a week. When they reached the point where the river split it, they stopped to stare at the statues in disbelief. Sasuke swallowed the lump in his throat as Sakura stepped closer to him.

"I always thought you looked more like the younger brother." She told him, her eyes focused on the Madara statues Sharingan. "I think that history is going to repeat itself here. But, this time the younger will surpass the elder. How's that for an answer?"

Sasuke was about to send her a confused look before he realized that she was referring to the night that she came to sit by him when he was on night watch. He nodded weakly. "I think that's a damn good answer." He paused thoughtfully before adding. "Sakura... I'm glad you're on our side. Not just because you're an amazing medic or a good fighter, either."

Sakura nodded seriously, her face remaining neutral. "Yeah, it's cause I have a nice butt, right?" She asked, a grin slipping across her face to show that she was only joking. Sasuke laughed.

"Yeah, Sakura, it's because of you butt." He chuckled and wrapped his arm around her waist, leaning against the First Hokage statue and sliding down so they were sitting on the ground. His lip twitched upwards. "Though, I think mine's better."

Sakura burst out laughing, barely able to keep herself from falling over. Sasuke joined in her laughter, after a few moments they quieted down and relaxed. She tilted her head to look up at him.

"We're okay, aren't we?" She asked in a quiet voice, moving her right arm so that she could twine her fingers together with the hand on her waist.

"Yeah, Sakura, we're okay..." He responded with a sigh of content, his eyes scanning the Jinchuuriki.

Naruto had a pile of small rocks beside him, with a stack of logs in front of him. He had two twigs in his hands and was rapidly trying to start a fire, with Hinata muttering encouragements every few minutes beside him. Neji and Tenten were crouched by the river, trying to see if there were any fish in it or not. Lee was sitting at the opposite side of the river to his team-mates, glaring into the water as if daring a fish to come to the surface. Gaara had disappeared into the forest when they first arrived, which was normal for him so no one was too worried about it. Shikamaru was sitting on a rock close to the river, staring at a picture in his hand - they had all decided that it must be a picture of Team Asuma, though he didn't tell them outright that it was.

"I'm starting to think that this was some sort of messed up Jinchuuriki match-making hike." Sakura said softly at Sasuke side, pressing her head against his arm.

Sasuke chuckled lightly, moving his head so the side of it was pressed against her pink hair. "I think you might be right about that, Sakura." He sighed. "Though, I don't think anyone's complaining."

"'Cept maybe Lee." She said, giggling happily. "But I'm sure he'll find someone when he get back to Konoha."

"Maybe, that bowl-cut would scare off a _lot_ of people." He responded, shaking his head as if disappointed in Lee. "Sakura, when we get back to Konoha, do you think everyone will still stay at the Uchiha District?"

"I dunno." She said with a frown. "Why? Are we no longer welcome?"

"No, I was just thinking that since there are obviously more Jinchuuriki there than Uchihas, there's no reason it should be called the Uchiha District anymore, right?" He responded, clearly his throat nervously.

"You're renaming the Uchiha District? Why? I thought you liked the isolation." Sakura stated, moving away from him so that she could look him in the eyes.

"I guess I just found something I like more than isolation." Sasuke told her with a casual shrug. "There are plenty of buildings and such around there, every Jinchuuriki could have one. It's officially my property, so the Elders can't do anything about it."

"So, it'll be like... what, the Jinchuuriki District?"

"I was thinking Jinchuuriki Junction."

"Oh, no. I am _not_ living in a place called the Jinchuuriki Junction. I'd have to kill myself!"

Sasuke laughed and pulled her back to his side, placing a kiss on top of her head. She sighed in content leaning against him.

Shikamaru spread the paper out of the ground, using kunai to hold it in place. The Jinchuuriki slowly crowded around him, bowls of that night's stew cradled in their hands as they sat on the ground in a semi-circle in front of him. He cleared his throat, aware that his explanation _now_ could save their lives _later_.

"Alright, I have a basic strategy that should work." Shikamaru told them firmly, looking everyone in the eye so they knew this was probably the _only_ strategy that would work, before continuing. "We'll start with Zetsu. Not much is known about this Akatsuki, but he seems to be the weakest link here. So I think Naruto should figh-"

"What?" Naruto cried immediately, his blue eyes flashing dangerously. "I'm one of our strongest fighters! Why should I fight the weakling?"

"So you'll finish faster." Shikamaru responded, not at all faze by the blonde's outbursts. He had anticipated each of their reactions to his plan. "If our strongest fights the weakest, he'll kill him faster and then be able to go help the others with their fights. If our weakest fight their weakest, theirs a chance _ours_ would be the loosing side. Someone could die. If _you_ fight him, you won't die."

"So, I just have to get rid of Zetsu then I can go for the big guy?" Naruto confirmed, annoyance still flickering across his face at the concept of fighting a weak Akatsuki member. He grumbled under his breath. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"Okay, for Itachi I want Sasuke and Sakura to fight him." He continued before Sasuke could start complaining about not getting a one-on-one fight. "That way, he'll get weaker faster and will loose quickly. And, if worst-comes-to-worst, Sakura would be able to leave the battle to help others or to heal. Just try to keep at least a tail of power in case someone gets really hurt, okay, Sakura?"

"Right." She said, intertwining her fingers with Sasuke's to calm him down. "It'll be okay, Sasuke. I'll stay out of it as much as possible. Promise."

He squeezed her fingers back, but didn't say anything.

"Okay, for Kisame, Team Guy should fight him. Try to get him to drop his sword, that's the source of his power, okay? I choose them because Sanbi should know how to get Samehada to stop obeying Kisame, and Neji and Tenten work well with him so they'll be fine." He paused before continuing. "This is the risky part, I choose myself, Hinata and Gaara to fight Madara. As soon as any of you finish your fights, _come help us_. That's why I got Naruto to fight Zetsu. He'll finish quickly then be able to help us fight Madara. It's risky, though, until Naruto will get there to help us. We'll have to be careful, alright? No heroics, everyone. We have to go into this smart. If you don't think you can handle an Akatsuki, call for help and one of us will come. If your injured, don't hesitate to call Sakura."

Shikamaru took a deep breath, forcing himself not to say 'what a drag' before continuing. "Feel free to go into the Valley. Try to find anything that could help you out in your battles. If the rocks are loose at one point on the wall, use that to your advantage. Does the water flow faster in some places than others? If it does, use it. We have to use every advantage that we have. Whether it be a cheap shot, or an old injury. I don't have to remind you that this is life and death, because if you haven't figured that out yet..." His voice trailed off as he shook his head.

"How much time to we have until they get here?" Neji asked, his pale eyes flashing with excitement for the battle that was going to come.

"Three days at the very least, five at the most." Shikamaru responded immediately, almost like second nature. "We'll spend two days getting to know the Valley and the surrounding area, after that we'll stay here and wait for them. No wasting chakra unless we _absolutely _need to, alright?"

Numerous 'okay's and 'yes's rang around the small group. Shikamaru nodded to himself, that was all they could do in the little time they had left. This was it, the last step that would lead to the battle.

As clichéd as it sounded, this battle could determine the fate of their world.


	30. End of the Uchiha

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the characters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. Lmao.

_Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment. _

—_Barry LePatner_

The nine Jinchuuriki stood spread out along one side of the Valley of the End. Four on Madara's side and four on the First Hokage's side. Naruto was using his chakra to stand on the river. None of them spoke a word, aware that the Akatsuki were just inside tree line watching them.

When the first red cloud was visible, they all activated their demonic chakra. The colourful chakra swirled around them, forming tails that swished behind their owners as if angry themselves. The Akatsuki stepped up to the opposite side of the cliff, watching them.

As if someone, somewhere far off had thrown a switch somewhere, the two groups launched themselves off the cliff sides and into the Valley of the End.

Sasuke and Itachi landed a few meters from each other, their Sharingan's spinning rapidly in their eyes. Sakura landed behind Sasuke, watching the two brothers with a slightly nervous expression. Her mouth opened but Sasuke held his hand up to silence her, there was no use talking to Itachi. The less they kept their demonic chakra out, the better. Talking would only waste time. With a sound of metal on metal, Sasuke pulled his katana out threateningly. Sakura copied him and flipped a kunai out of her holster. Itachi tossed a handful of shuriken at them, the metal stars making whirring sounds as they raced towards their targets.

The two members of Team Kakashi jumped out of their way and raced towards Itachi, their dodge had given him enough time to pull out a kunai of his own out and he used it to deflect Sasuke's blade. He simply grabbed Sakura's wrist to keep her knife away from his flesh. Sparks flew widely from the two blades, but his eyes remained focused on Sakura. With a grunt he yanked her off the water and tossed her over his shoulder.

She let out a surprised cry as she fell into the water with a splash, almost dropping her kunai in the process. Pulling herself above the water, Sakura swore. Sasuke and Itachi still had their blades locked together, their Sharingan's spinning wildly in rage. _Men..._ She thought in annoyance, forming numerous seals as she started focusing her chakra. _Whatever, they're staring contest will give me enough time to do this jutsu. It'd take too long otherwise. Ox, Monkey, Hare..._

Sasuke's eyes flickered past his brother to Sakura. She was kneeling on the water with her hands nothing more than blurs as she made numerous hand signs. Of course, with his Sharingan, he could tell what jutsu she was about to use and he already knew what she was planning to do. He forced his eyes back to Itachi, so his brother wouldn't notice that Sakura was performing a jutsu and that she wasn't simply trying to get back onto the water. Both Sharingan's met as Sakura's voice rang around their battle field.

"_Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu_!" She cried, standing up straight with her bright emerald eyes flashing dangerously. Four pillars of water shot up around her - north, south, east and west - and merged directly above her, the single line of water grew larger and larger until it formed a dragon's head with glowing yellow eyes. It's maw opened and a ferocious roar emitted from it's throat.

Sasuke smirked and jumped backwards, watching humourlessly as Itachi dodged the water dragon's numerous attacks. It would take a while for him to find an opening to get at Sakura, and it was up to Sasuke to make sure he was successfully distracted by that time. He copied most of Sakura's hand signs from earlier, adding a few more and switching a few around. His Sharingan was locked on his brother. The second Itachi moved to attack Sakura, Sasuke spoke.

"_Fire Style: Fire Dragon Jutsu_." Four pillars of fire appeared around Sasuke, morphing into a large dragon that shot towards Itachi before it was even completely formed.

True, the water dragon would be much stronger in a lake but Sasuke didn't have water chakra. He only had Fire, Lighting and - thanks to his demon - earth. The two dragons attacked Itachi at once. The fire and water cancelling each other out but their purpose had been accomplished. Steam sizzled around them, warming the environment exponentially.

When the last cloud disappeared they started to look around for Itachi. He was no where to be seen. The two ninja weren't stupid, though, an attack of that magnitude would probably kill most Shinobi, but not an Akatsuki. Sasuke's head snapped towards the cliff side. Itachi was hanging from the rock, taking a deep breath as chakra swirled around his body.

"Sakura!" Sasuke cried, his gaze shooting in her direction. She looked over at him in confusion, following Sasuke's pointing finger to his brother. Sakura nodded and started making more hand seals.

A large ball of flames appeared in front of Itachi and he yelled. "_Fire Style: Grand Fire Ball Jutsu_!" at the exact same moment that Sakura cried. "Water Style: Great Wave Jutsu."

A giant wave of water appeared behind Sasuke and Sakura, curling around them to make a sort of protective barrier around the two. They could see the distorted image of the fire ball shooting towards it. But the water and fire had a negative effect on each other, cancelling out. Steam filled the area around them again as the water fell away from the two ninjas.

Sasuke barely had enough time to hold his blade up as Itachi jumped out from the cloud of steam and attacked him. The two traded blows, with Sakura standing too far away to be any help to Sasuke taijutsu-wise. Her mind was racing through every ninjutsu she knew and she choose which ones would help them the most. She swore under her breath and started making more hand signs, aware that she had used up half the chakra in one of her tails already. This battle was going to be hard on them all.

"_Earth Style: Golem Justu_!" Sakura cried, watching as the cliff side near the Madara statue's leg started to shift and move. A strange-looking creature pulled itself out of the wall, leaving a large gap where it used to be. It's hollow black eyes looked around at the numerous battles before they locked on Itachi and Sasuke, it launched itself away from the rocks and towards the Uchiha's - using Sakura's chakra to run over the water to get to them. "Sasuke, get out of the way!"

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder and kicked at Itachi, launching the elder Uchiha into the cliff wall. Itachi barely had enough time to pull himself out of the crater he had made before the Golem attacked him.

"You thinking what I'm thinking, Sakura?" Sasuke asked her in a strained voice, the fatigue from the battle finally starting to show on him.

"As usual." Sakura responded with a cocky grin and a wink.

The two raced to either side of the battle between Itachi and the Golem. Sakura started making numerous hand signs, with Sasuke using his Sharingan to copy her movements. Neither made a move to finish the jutsu until Itachi dislodged a large chip out of the Golem's shoulder. They both made eye contact, nodded to each other and called; "Earth Style Barrier: Earth Dome Prison."

The rocks and dirt around them shot off the ground in a perfect circle, creating a dome around Itachi and the Golem. The two kept their hands pressed against the hard earth, sending their chakra into the dome to make sure Itachi wouldn't be able to break through. Sasuke took a deep breath, creating a shadow clone and ordering it to replace him beside the dome. His hands started clapping together in numerous seals as Sakura hurried around to his side of the dome, her own shadow clone sending her chakra into the dome from the other side.

"Sakura, hold out your hand." Sasuke ordered, moving his hands so they were in the position for 'tiger.' She complied. "Good, now focus as much wind chakra into your hand as you can. This is the finishing move."

Sakura frowned but did as she was told. Sasuke reached forward and pressed his hand into hers, moving her hand - as well as his - so that they made numerous hand signs between the two of them.

"Dust Style?" She asked, watching they hands in amazement as she recognized the earth chakra coming off his hands.

He forced a nod and stopped moving their hands so they were in the position for 'ram.' "_Dust Style: Detachment of the Primitive World Justu_." He called, watching the dome curiously.

A large cube appeared above the dome, it's muddy-like surface glinting slightly in the light. Without warning, the cube dropped - as if someone had merely cut the chains that were holding it - and smashed into the dome. Both shadow clones were destroyed and - judging from the mud leaking out from under the cube - the Golem was gone too. A poof of smoke surrounded them as the cube disappeared back to wherever it had come from. When it disappeared, Sakura groaned loudly. The only signs that a battle had taken place under the dome was the mud and a simple log.

"Replacement Jutsu..." Sasuke hissed under his breath, swearing violently as his Sharingan scanned the area around them to try and find his brother. He swore again when his eyes landed on the cloaked Uchiha. "Sakura, you're lightning-nature, right?"

"And water and fire and earth and wind." Sakura confirmed, looking over at him in confusion. He knew that she could use every element, thanks to her demon.

"Not what I meant, _you're_ lightning-natured, right?" He responded, his Sharingan locked on his brother's Mangekyou. She nodded uncertainly. "Good, can you coat your body in electricity to absorb some of the pressure?"

"I don't understand." She told him genuinely, turning her green-eyed gaze away from Itachi and towards Sasuke.

"Say, if a _lighting bolt_ were about to hit you, could you coat your self with electricity to absorb it?" He repeated, phrasing it differently and putting emphasis on the 'lighting bolt' part.

Realization dawned on Sakura's face. "Yeah. I won't feel anything than a minor shock and some tingles."

"Good. Distract him for me."

Sakura grinned and launched herself forward, grabbing the remaining stock of her shuriken and tossing them at Itachi. He easily deflect them all with his kunai and grabbed her wrist so she couldn't stab him with her own knife. He swiped at her, but she simply grabbed his wrist in response.

"You've gotten good, Sakura." Itachi said, his voice and face remaining neutral.

Sakura frowned. "It doesn't mean much coming from you."

She pulled her leg away from the water and aimed it at his midsection, filling it with lightning chakra. Itachi jumped out of the water, only to have numerous water darts shoot at him from the lake's surface. He swerved around those only to be attacked by Sakura again, their kunai clashed together as sparks shot off to the sides. His eyes widened slightly when he noticed something different about her.

Sakura's entire body was covered in a thin - barely noticeable - layer of lightning-nature chakra, she must have sent it along her skin when she tried to kick him. He swore and tried to jump away from her. Sakura's hand darted out and she grabbed his wrist again.

"Don't think so, Sensai. You're not getting out of this that easily." She said in a playful voice.

"_Lightning Style: Lightning Cutter jutsu_!" Sasuke yelled from behind Sakura.

Itachi swore again, his Sharingan watched as both his younger brother's hand got covered with sparking electricity. The younger Uchiha launched himself towards the two, jumping away from the water when he was only a meter away. He dove down, holding both his Raikiri out the electricity making sharp crackling sounds. Both of Sasuke's hands dug deep into Itachi's chest as the electricity dimmed.

Sakura dropped Itachi's wrist and looked over at Sasuke. "Is he gone now?"

Sasuke paused, his eyes scanning the other battles. "Yeah... He's gone now..."


	31. Beginning of the End

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the characters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. Lmao.

_Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. _

—_Winston Churchill_

The nine Jinchuuriki stood spread out along one side of the Valley of the End. Four on Madara's side and four on the First Hokage's side. Naruto was using his chakra to stand on the river. None of them spoke a word, aware that the Akatsuki were just inside tree line watching them.

When the first red cloud was visible, they all activated their demonic chakra. The colourful chakra swirled around them, forming tails that swished behind their owners as if angry themselves. The Akatsuki stepped up to the opposite side of the cliff, watching them.

As if someone, somewhere far off had thrown a switch somewhere, the two groups launched themselves off the cliff sides and into the Valley of the End.

Team Guy raced towards the blue, shark man. Kisame's Samehada was placed precariously other his right shoulder and he seemed completely relaxed with the proceedings. Sure, the lake was a _great_ place to fight. Enough cliffs around them to make it hard for the Akatsuki to hide, the water could be dangerous and would be able to pull them under if they didn't know about it. But, of course, Kisame would thrive in the water. At that point - with that much water around him - he was probably as strong as Madara.

Kisame's eyes shifted away from Team Guy to the other fights, a grin slowly spread across his face. "You expect _those_ three to handle Madara on their own? My, you _must_ hate them." He chuckled under his breath before turning back to the three Jinchuuriki in front of him. "Shall we begin?"

"We shall." Lee countered, his three tails swishing angrily across the water.

The four ninja disappeared from view, launching themselves away from the water and towards their opponent. Kisame easily flicked his writs, swinging Samehada to deflect Tenten and Neji's kunai but Lee ducked under the blade and aimed a punch at the blue shark man.

"Lee, take point." Neji called to his team-mate, slipping into the role of leader like he usually did. "Tenten, throw as many of your weapons at him as you can, _don't hit Lee_."

The Hyuuga landed on the water a meter away from both his team-mates as his hands started moving together to form hand sign. Tenten bit her thumb and yanked her large scroll out, spreading it out on top of the water in front of her before wiping the trail of blood across the black markings. Numerous weapons popped out of the scrolls and the weapons master easily caught them all, tossing them at the Akatsuki before the smoke had even cleared. Lee continued his barrage on Kisame, twirling around so that his fists and legs slammed against the Samehada - the blade was too big to get around! Lee swore and sent a large wave of Sanbi's chakra into his leg as he smashed it against the shark skin blade.

The sword pulsed and grew from the amount of chakra it was absorbing.

"Lee, get out of the way!" Neji yelled, finishing his series of hand signs on tiger. He took up a Gentle Fist stance - even though he was too far away from the fish man to do any damage - and he started jabbing at the air. Instead of doing nothing, every time his hands lashed out, a purple ball of chakra shot away from him and towards the battle. "_Poison Mist Inferno: Consecutive Needle Combo_!"

Lee swore and jumpd away from Kisame, barely clearing the water when the first purple ball slammed into the Akatsuki. The instant the sphere met a solid surface - Samehada - it exploded outwards, letting out a large blast of purple smoke. Poisen.

"You can use _poisen_?" Tenten cried as Lee landed gently beside her, annoyed that he hadn't told them about it.

"Actually, isn't Yonbi a poisenous lizard?" Lee asked in a quiet voice, a frown slipping across his face as his eyes travelled to the other fights half-heartedly. _Naruto's already finished, good..._ "That'd be his demon's jutsu, not his."

"But still..." Tenten complained, cross her arms in annoyance as the poisen cloud grew larger.

Neji finally stopped his constant barrage, letting his arms drop to his sides as he jumped back to stand beside his teammates. Before the poisen cloud had even started clearing, a loud rumbling voice caught their attention. "_Water Style: Five Sharks Frenzy_!"

A large, shark burst out of the water only feet from Team Guy. The three ninja jumped out of the way, but not before they realized the shark was created purely of water with glowing yellow eyes. Before gravity could even start to take over, four more sharks burst out of the water. The five sharks lunged at Team Guy - who skillfully maneuvered their way around the water creatures.

"Neji?" Tenten called warily as she dodge a consecutive attack from two of the water sharks.

"This jutsu..." Neji muttered under his breath before raising his voice to talk to his teammates. "See the water cords attached to the sharks? Those need to be touching the person who summoned them."

Their gazes travelled along the cords of water - that were almost impossible to differentiate from the rest of the water - with their eyes finally resting on the dispersing cloud of smoke. Neji and Lee made eye contact and nodded to each other.

"I'll distract him. Tenten, cover Lee!" Neji called, raising towards the disappearing purple smog.

Kisame wouldn't be able to see him coming and would be too focused on the five sharks that he wouldn't notice the Hyuuga at all. Neji shook his head and activated his Byakugan, forced himself into a Gentle Fist stance - or the best he could do while running - and started his second favourite jutsu.

"Eight trigrams: Two palms!" Neji cried, jumping into the cloud of smoke, zoning in on Kisame's location and jabbing his fingers into the chakra points. "Four palms. Eight palms. Sixteen palms. Thirty-two palms. Sixty-four palms."

When all the chakra points had been successfully hit, he jump back and looked over at his teammates. A unearthly glow was surrounding Lee, with the air swirling violently around him. His skin had taken on a green glow and smoke was starting to form near his feet. The second Neji's feet touched the water, Lee raced into what was left of the purple cloud. Thanks to Neji's eight trigrams, Kisame would be tempoairily unable to move which would give Lee the time to use his jutsu.

"_Eternal Chaotic Dance_!" Lee yelled, his voice coming out deeper than it usually did.

Lee slammed his foot down onto the water, sending out multiple waves as well as a small portion of his chakra. The sudden pressure of chakra underneath him forced Kisame to go flying in the air. The blue man swore when Lee appeared beside him at the peak of his flight. The bowl-cut ninja rapidly slammed numerous punches and hits at Kisame, faster than the eye could see - even a well trained Akatsuki eye. The blue shark man let out loud grunts of pain as each and every attack slammed into his skin. Somewhere during Lee's barrage, Samehada's strap broke in two, sending the shark skin blade flying. A smug grin spread across Lee's face as he sent a round-house kick to Kisame's stomach, sending the blue man plummeting towards the water below them. Neji and Tenten took up battle stances, but Lee let the seven gates close as he sprinted after the Samehada.

He bent next to the blade - which had landed on the ground instead of the water - and sent all his demonic chakra into his right arm before grasping the blades handle. As he expected, the handle absorbed the entirity of his chakra. But, it didn't send the spikes out to attack his hand. The blade recognized it's master's chakra and wouldn't attack Sanbi's host. Lee grinned and picked the blade effortlessly off the ground, hoisting it onto his shoulder smugly.

"You like his chakra more than mine, Samehada?" Kisame asked weakly, a trickle of blood running down the side of his mouth. His gaze travelled to the three Jinchuuriki. "Don't expect this to be easy now that my blade is gone."

"Not easy, no." Neji confirmed, shaking his head calmly as his four tails wiped angrily behind him.

"But _easier_." Tenten finished a conifdant grin flickering onto her face. "Let's finish this, guys!"

Before the members of Team Guy could move a muscle, a flash of light hit Kisame pulling a painful gasp from the fish man. The three Jinchuuriki had to cover their eyes from the burning white light in fear of being blinded by it. Distantly, they realized that all sounds of fighting had ceased around them, but all that mattered to them at that moment was saving their eyesight.

When they were sure the light had gone, they opened their eyes.

Kisame was slowly sinking below the water's surface, the water around him becoming a muddy blood red color. Tenten gasped as they stared at the dead Akatsuki.

"W...What was that light?" Tenten asked, her eyes focused on the fish man but her question directed at Neji.

"...I have no idea." He said honestly, his mouth hanging open in shock.

"Hey, are you three alright?"

The members of Team Guy turned as the new voice intruded on their thoughts. Sakura landed a few meters away from them, her eyes wide and gaping at Kisame's dead body. Her mouth opened and closed wordlessly as Sasuke landed beside her. The other Jinchuuriki landed behind them. With a jolt, Team Guy realized that none of the other Jinchuuriki were using their demonic chakra.

"What happened here?" Sasuke asked, staring at Kisame in disbelief.

Sakura managed to force her gaze away from Kisame's body as she hurried over to the other three Jinchuuriki. "Resurrection jutsu, would be my best guess." She said casually, moving to Neji - who was the closest to her - and standing on her tip-toes to look him in the eyes. "Damn, how long did you guys look into the light?"

"A couple seconds." Lee told her, crossing the water to join the rest of their group. "And that doesn't exactly look like resurrection to me. It looks like murder."

"Well for Kisame it's murder, but Madara took Itachi's body." She responded, pressing her palms against the Hyuuga's temples and her thumbs against his eyes. "Take a deep breath and let it out slowly, Neji."

"So, he's going to resurrect Itachi?" Naruto asked in genuine confusion as he watched his sister. "How's that work?"

"A life for a life." Sasuke answered for her, turning to his blond team-mate. "I read about it once, to bring someone back from the dead, the user would need to either give their own life or one of equal or greater value. Kisame was undoubtedly stronger than Itachi, which begs the question: Why would he kill of someone of Kisame's calibre for someone who's lost to us _twice_?"

"Dunno, Tenten, Lee, get over here so I can check your eyes." Sakura commanded, stepping away from Neji and sending him a questioning look. "Better?"

Neji nodded. "Yes, thank you, Sakura." He said, stepping out of the way for Tenten to stand in front of Sakura. He hesitated, his Byakugan - still activated from the fight - on the cliffs behind them. "Hinata, do you see that?"

The Hyuuga heiress frowned and turned around, activating her Byakugan to check where Neji was pointing. Her mouth popped open. "W..wha..." Was all she managed to choke out.

"Excuse me, but the rest of us don't have Byakugan's. Mind explaining?" Tenten asked, closing her eyes so Sakura could take the effects of the light away. She smiled when the pink-haired kunoichi pulled her hands away. "Thank you."

"It... a large-"

"And he means _large_." Hinata interrupted nervously, moving to stand behind Naruto.

"-large group of Shinobi are running towards us at full speed." Neji paused before adding. "And they seem powerful."

The nine Jinchuuriki huddled together, staring at the edge of the cliff as they waited for the 'large group of powerful ninja' to come and attack. They didn't move for at least a moment before a single form appeared at the edge of the Valley of the End.

"Isn't that..."


	32. Hero's Welcome

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the characters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. Lmao.

_Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school. _

—_Albert Einstein_

The nine Jinchuuriki huddled together, staring at the edge of the cliff as they waited for the 'large group of powerful ninja' to come and attack. They didn't move for at least a moment before a single form appeared at the edge of the Valley of the End.

"Isn't that..."

"Kakashi-sensai!" Naruto and Sakura cried, excitement flashing across their faces.

The silver-haired man's single eye locked on his students, he slouched backwards and they could practically hear his sigh as he waved down at them. Within seconds, a dozen or so ninja appeared on either side of him. Including all of their sensai's as well as a few ANBU Black Ops.

"I... honestly can't tell if this situation is good or bad." Hinata told them nervously, crouching down farther so she was completely hidden behind Naruto. "Aren't we supposed to be fugitives?"

"We'll we've pretty much gotten rid of the threat, Madara's the only one that's left but he won't try anything." Sakura responded, even though her words were strong she inched closer to Sasuke and slipped her hand into his.

They watched as Kakashi jumped down onto the water and slowly - almost painfully slow - walked towards them. The other ninja followed, but they stopped a few meters away from the side of the cliff warily. Sasuke took a deep breath and stepped forward, dropping Sakura's hand with a quick command to finish healing Lee's eyes. The pink-haired kunoichi nodded, knowing that Lee's eyes had probably started burning already, and turned to place her hands on his face. The two Sharingan users met at the lake's half-way point, where no one behind them would hear a word they spoke.

"If The Elders are still insistent that we stay out of the village, we'll leave immediately." Sasuke told his former sensai, his dark eyes narrowing dramatically.

Kakashi sighed, his hand travelling to his back pocket. "Always see the worst in people, eh, Sasuke?" He asked lightly, pulling his _Ichi Ichi Paradise _book out of his pocket and opening it casually. "The Elders have decided that the pros outweigh the cons in your case."

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"Meaning they are under the impression that you will be able to protect Konoha more than you will be a threat to it." Kakashi told him lazily, his eye scanning the book in front of him. "You will all be promoted to any position you wish, of course, as long as you pledge yourselves to Konoha."

"We already did that, when we got our headbands." Sasuke told him subconsciously, his eyes flickering to the group behind him.

Naruto was standing in front of the Jinchuuriki with a worried expression on his face as he tried to figure out what they were talking about. Sakura had forced Lee to sit down and was healing a large burn mark on his back while she lectured him on something, he must have opened up some of the Gates. Gaara was leaning against the cliff near her, watching the exchange with mild curiosity. The other's expressions went from fear to terror to joy, for some. Sasuke sent them an okay sign - his index finger touching his thumb - and nodded, to reassure them.

"No one will complain if we move back into the Uchiha District?" Sasuke confirmed, watching as Naruto hurried away from the others to join Sasuke in front of Kakashi.

"It's your property, you may do as you wish." Kakashi responded, nodding at the blond when he stopped next to his team-mate. "It is good to see you again, Naruto."

"You too, Sensai." Naruto responded immediately, his blue eyes flickering from Sasuke to Kakashi. "Is that it? Are we really going back?"

"Yes... If you want to, that is." The silver-haired man told him softly, a smile pulling the cloth of his mask back. "Konoha is prepared to give you anything for compensation. We have been searching Fire country for you all for about a week. Never did we think you'd end up here..."

Water splashed softly behind the two team-mates as Sakura approached them. She stopped just behind Sasuke with a neutral expression on her face. "Sensai, I don't mean to rush you or anything, but one of Hinata's ribs broke in the fight and I don't feel comfortable trying to fix it without hospital equipment."

Kakashi's eye travelled away from the other two and landed on Sakura. "That sounds serious." He said honestly, gesturing for them to follow him.

"Not really, but it could be if we don't fix it right away." Sakura responded, turning her back to them so she could face the other Jinchuuriki. "Lee, keep a hold of that blade, alright? Naruto, carry Hinata, we don't want to risk breaking anything else."

Kakashi sighed deeply as the nine Jinchuuriki followed him. "Four years ago, the three of you couldn't even beat _me_, now you're fighting the leader of the Akatsuki with nothing but a single broken rib." He said, shaking his head in exasperation as he put his book away. "Makes me feel old."

Team Kakashi glanced at each other, their eyes glowing. "Sensai..." They said in almost perfect unison. "You _are_ old."

The nine Jinchuuriki stepped inside Konoha's gates and were immediately bombarded with a loud roar of applause. It seemed that every Fire Nation citizen had joined in the large front area of Konohagakure to celebrate the arrival of the Jinchuuriki. They froze, staring at the crowd in disbelief. Not even a year ago, they had been thrown out of this place? Tsunade was the first to step out of the crowd and walk towards the group. She stopped in front of them, a warm look on her face.

"I'm glad you all made it back." She said truthfully, smiling softly at each one of them. "If there is anything Konoha can do for you, we will do it. Within reason, of course."

Naruto stepped forward, Hinata still clutched in his arms. "Yeah, we discussed it and none of us want any special treatment. But, there is something you_ can -_ _reasonably_ - do for us." He told her, a grin flashing onto his face. "We don't want to live in a place where people like the Elders rule the town. We want them fired."

Tsunade's mouth twitched and she barked a laugh. "I'm afraid you're too late, Naruto. The second they said they would allow you to come back, the Daimyo declared them unstable and fired them. Konoha is now - and forever will be - ruled solely by a Hokage and any advisors they choose." She said, her eyes turning down to the young Hyuuga. "Now, you're messenger told me about your rib, let's get you to the hospital, shall we?"

The second those words left her mouth, the Jinchuuriki's friends surged forward. The teenagers were pulled into hugs from their family, with Tsunade taking Hinata gently from Naruto so his mother could pull him and Sakura into a hug. Gaara vanished the instant the mob moved forward, heading back to his own village once he was sure the guillotine had been removed from over his head. Neji was pulled into a mass of Hyuugas, with Guy tossing the poor Byakugan-wielders out of the way so he could reach his students and give them a 'manly' hug. Team Asuma immediately abducted Shikamaru to pull him away from the crowd and towards his favourite cloud-watching spot, as a memento of how much they had missed him. Sasuke stood awkwardly outside the families, his eyes slightly downcast as he watched their happy moment. His eyes caught Sakura's and a mischievous glint appeared in the emerald orbs.

The pink-haired kunoichi ducked away from Naruto and their mother, racing towards Sasuke. She grabbed his hand with a giggle and pulled him into the crowd.

"Mom, there's somebody I'd like you too meet." Sakura said, wrapping her arm around Sasuke's waist and leaning against his side. "This is Sasuke Uchiha. He's my team-mate and boyfriend."

Sasuke barely hid his surprise at her statement but managed to put a pleasant smile on his face and hold out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am." He said, shaking hands with Sakura's mother.

"Man!" Naruto cried in annoyance, kicking his foot against the ground. "That's not fair! Sakura get's to introduce her boyfriend to the family but my girlfriend's in the hospital! Oh, that reminds me, I should be heading there. See you later, mom!"

They watched the blond disappear into the crowd with nothing short of amusement.


	33. Epilogue

_**Disclaimer**_

K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the characters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except _my_ story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it _in_ Naruto, but I want credit if they do. Lmao.

_There is nobody so irritating as somebody with less intelligence and more sense than we have. _

—_Don Herold_

Sakura gently guided her paintbrush across the wooden fence, leaving a trail of white paint behind it. Her eyes momentarily flickered to the Uchiha symbol she had just covered but forced herself to finish painting. Sasuke said he was _sure_ that the Uchiha District be turned into a home for the eight Konoha-residing Jinchuuriki. A quick glance down the fence line showed that the others were having as much trouble painting the fence as she was. Sasuke, on the other hand, was calmly wiping the black paintbrush across the front gate, completely covering the Uchiha symbol that had been drawn on it.

With a sigh, Sakura finished painting the portion of fence she had been assigned, her mind wandering to other things. The only Jinchuuriki that had been free that afternoon to help remake the Uchiha District. Naruto had barely had a free moment since they came back and Tsunade declared that he would be a Hokage-in-training - something that had never been heard of before - until he became old enough to take the position from her. Neji - the new captain of ANBU squad three - was on special assignment, an assignment that he couldn't even talk openly about. Lee and Tenten - his two lieutenants - were with him. Shikamaru was at some barbeque restaurant downtown catching up with his team, though he - too - had gotten a new position: the head of the analytical department.

Though, that wasn't to say that the rest of the Jinchuuriki hadn't also received promotions. Sasuke was currently the head of the ANBU Black Ops - not just a single squad - and had taken his deceased father's position flawlessly. Sakura had been offered leadership of ANBU squad one and head of staff at Konoha's hospital, but had declined both in favour of taking the Jonin exams and becoming a sensai. Hinata had also declined the positions that were offered her and was teaching at the academy, as well as learning how to be a medic from Sakura on her time off. A training that Sakura was forcing Karin to take, as well - 'we can't all become vampires when we need healing!' she had told her. Suigetsu - who had been more than annoyed when they told him Kisame was dead - was currently waiting for his next assignment - as Lieutenant of ANBU sqaud four. Under Jugo, of course.

Sakura smiled to herself, watching as Sasuke drew a swirl on the front gates. The swirl slowly became their Seal design, a mark - they had all decided - would be the best representative of the Jinchuuriki.

Oh yeah, they had it good.


	34. Fin

Now, I've already started the third and final part to the Jinchuuriki Chapters, but it's going very slow. I know where I want it to end and a couple other ideas, but I'm having trouble putting them together. So I'll update the first chapters I have, but there will be a long pause between the other chapters. If you guys have any ideas, I'll be happy to hear them (I'm kind of dried up in the ideas department) and I'll credit you. XD Thanks for reading my story so far.


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